Letters in Blood
by Akumakun42
Summary: Readers can expect several updates in the coming month of January! Naruto's life will become even more complicated and intense as Akatsuki's plans begin to take form.
1. Take You There

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Naruto, the Characters, or the original story of Naruto in any way shape or form. This right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I do however, hold rights to the original characters I have created for the plot of THIS story and not the original Naruto story.

**Note From the Author: **This is a new take on the Naruto universe. It starts from Naruto as a 6 year old and will develop up to the current events of Naruto. Several things will change along the course of this story and I do hope you enjoy it. If I get any reviews or reads I thank those who do such. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Take You There

"A... a light? Where is it coming from?" A swirl of darkness overcame the light as the child's voice screamed.

A young boy quickly sat up in his bed as sweat dropped into his eyes. He panted heavily and brought his arm up to wipe away the sweat. He quickly hopped off his bed and scurried to the window almost tripping over his over-sized pajamas. The moon was full and hovered high above the sky. The city was a mix of light and shadows as the moon's light shined brightly. While it was still the dead of night, lanterns still lit up rooms throughout the ninja city. The boy gasped in awe at the sight happy to be alive. His gaze rose to the moon, which dominated the sky, and he yawned, stretching his arms above his head. The boy slowly paced back to his bed and slid under the sheets letting out another yawn. He opened his cerulean eyes once more to look at the moon, and scratched the whiskers on his face before drifting into a deep sleep.

"Naruto! Wake up, Naruto!" shouted a young man as he pounded on the door in front of him, "Naruto, if you don't open this door right now, I will not treat you to ramen like I promised!"

The door opened in an instant as a small boy, around 6 years old beamed a smile at the older man. The boy was wearing a tight, white t-shirt with a red swirl adorning the center. He had on baggy green shorts and wore a pair of blue sandals. His blond hair was unkempt and seemed like it had never been brushed since the kid was born. "Oi, Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry I overslept! I took a shower like you told me to do."

"That's great Naruto now you won't smell like a pig anymore," laughed Iruka as he ruffled his hand through the boy's hair.

Naruto looked up at Iruka-sensei noticing the scar that tore across his nose. The man wore the average Konoha ninja clothes, a green jacket, blue shirt, and blue pants. Around his right leg were bandages that held on to various weapons. Across Iruka's forehead was the Konoha Headband. It was the pride of a ninja and Naruto had always wanted to wear one. His dream after all was to become the Hokage, the greatest ninja in Konohagakure. Naruto would become that ninja!

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, are we going to Ichiraku's today," questioned Naruto as he crossed his arms behind his head and matched his pace with his companion.

"Naruto, all you ever want is ramen don't you think you should branch out once in a while?" responded Iruka quickly with a smile.

"Iruka-sensei! How can you put down ramen so easily like that," hollered Naruto as the boy turned to the man standing next to him.

Before Iruka had a chance to talk to Naruto, a man wearing an animal mask with odd designs appeared in front of the two. Paying no attention to the little boy he handed Iruka a scroll and said, "Iruka, Hokage-sama has asked for your presence there was an incident last night. It has left the village a little on edge and they are looking for someone to blame." Iruka nodded and gazed back down to Naruto, who glared at the man in the mask for ignoring the boy.

"Hey, Naruto, I'm going to have to ask you for a rain-check today okay?" Iruka asked as he knelt down and patted the boy's head.

Naruto simply pouted as he folded his arms across his chest and let out a long sigh. He looked back up at Iruka, waved, and began to walk off. As he was walking off he mumbled something like, See ya next time, but Iruka couldn't quite here it all. He glanced back at Naruto's back before he joined the Anbu troop and jumped up to one of Konoha's rooftops.

Naruto gazed around bored out of his mind. He didn't know what to do, he had no friends to speak of and the only two people Naruto had ever known that showed him kindness were Iruka-sensei and Sarutobi, the Hokage. Naruto yawned as he thought of the old man sitting in front of his desk. He treated Naruto like a grandson even though Naruto had no such relationship to him. Naruto had no family at all. He had never met his father or his mother as the both left him an orphan while he was a small child. Ever since he took notice of it, the adults in the village would glare at him and shout threats at the boy. Naruto would cry. He would cry a lot. It wasn't just occasional, this happened nearly every day, and even though Naruto had promised himself he would not cry any longer, there were still nights where tears would clog his eyes. Naruto hated everyone that treated him this way. However, he hated seeing other people being ridiculed because he knew their pain ten-fold.

As Naruto kept his eyes wandering he began to notice the people around him glaring. He absolutely hated the staring. It felt like every single villager was ready to pull out a knife and plunge it through his heart. Naruto quickened his pace in order to brush off the glares he felt penetrating him to his very soul, but it wasn't enough. He soon burst out into a full run and didn't stop until he found himself in a lonely park. _This park is just like me abandoned and alone,_ thought Naruto as he sat down to catch his breath. He soon noticed that the park wasn't abandoned and a group of kids were playing in the grass.

Taking a closer look Naruto realized the kids weren't playing, but rather the were picking on a small girl with short pink hair. The girl was on her knees crying as the kids continued to shout and tease her. This quickly angered Naruto and he ran over to the group of kids and kicked one of them in the shin. The other kids quickly took notice of the boy and their eyes widened in fear.

"Hey, we should get out of here," shouted one of the boys.

"Why? We can beat him up we outnumber him ten to one," replied another getting ready to attack.

"Don't you know who that is? Our parents said we should stay away from him or we might get hurt," quickly stated another boy who backed away from Naruto.

Naruto shouted at the group of kids to leave the girl alone. The kids nearly jumped out of their skins as they ran out of the park shouting back demon and monster. Naruto looked back at them as his eyes narrowed and he formed a frown. Naruto turned back to the girl who was still on the ground crying. He smiled at the girl and helped her to her feet. The pink-haired girl was only sobbing now as she looked up at Naruto.

"Are you going to make fun of me too," asked the girl nervously as she backed away.

"No! I can't stand it when people are made fun of! Nobody deserves to be teased," responded Naruto as he looked back at the girl, "You know, you are kind of cute."

The pink-haired girl blushed as she pointed at Naruto and accused, "You, you are making fun of me! Can't you see my giant forehead?"

Naruto looked questioningly at the girl and shrugged, "It looks normal to me."

"You mean it? You really mean it? I mean everybody has always made fun of my forehead. They all think it is huge! My mom tells me it isn't but she is just a mom."

"It really isn't that big-" before Naruto could finish he was interrupted as Iruka-sensei jumped out from the trees.

"I've been looking all over for you! I need you to come with me this instant. The Hokage needs to see you." shouted Iruka as he grabbed Naruto's hand.

"B-but Iruka-sensei I just met this girl," whined Naruto as Iruka grabbed Naruto around the waist and jumped into a tree.

"Look, I'm sure you will meet her again, but you need to come with me now!"

Naruto looked back at the girl, who was standing in the park all alone. He was happy to see her smiling and waving but he noticed that he didn't even learn her name.

Naruto loved the feeling he got when Iruka-sensei would jump from building to building either carrying Naruto or letting Naruto ride on his shoulders. All his worries floated away with each jump. The stress of the day would melt away as the wind soared around Naruto's face. He couldn't wait until he was able to get the strength to become a ninja. He would surpass everyone even the Hokage. Iruka turned his head to face Naruto and asked Naruto to keep quiet as the landed on the roof of the Hokage's mansion. Naruto looked up to the large cliff that had four of the Hokage's faces chiseled into the side of the mountain. Naruto's would join the ranks of the gigantic faces one day.

Iruka held tightly on to Naruto's hand as the walked down a dimly lit set of stairs into the office of the Hokage. Naruto noticed the Hokage was standing at the window looking out upon the village. Naruto yelled out to the man, but Iruka quickly shut him up.

The man's gruff voice flowed throughout the room as he said, "Iruka, thank you for bringing Naruto here. Have you told him anything?"

"No, Hokage-sama. I have not told Naruto anything about what is-" Iruka was cut off.

"What are you talking about? What haven't you told me," interrupted Naruto.

"Impatient as always aren't you, Naruto," smirked the Hokage as he turned to face the two, placing his pipe in his mouth, "Naruto, I'm sure you have noticed how the villager's all treat you. They fear you and you don't know why. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you why they hate you, but only that they do. This hatred has grown even larger due to the event that occurred last night."

"What happened last night?" asked Naruto confused as to why the Hokage was being so serious with him.

"Naruto, last night the Uchiha Clan was completely destroyed save one child," stated Sarutobi, "The people of this village have no one to blame, but they all want blood. They want someone to blame. Which brings me to you, Naruto. The people of this village are blaming you.

"Bb-but why would they blame me old man?" asked Naruto as he walked over to the Hokage.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you Naruto. There is only one thing I can do for you. I'm going to have you taken away from this village until this matter is settled. I want you to be safe. Uzumaki Naruto, you must leave Konohagakure!"


	2. Wall to Wall

**CHAPTER TWO: Wall to Wall**

Naruto was so confused. He leaped over an old, rotten log and continued to run. He didn't know where exactly he was going, he just knew he had to run. Iruka-sensei had told him to run. Naruto turned around and could still here the shouts and calls of angry villagers, but they seemed too far off to be a worry anymore. Naruto howled in pain as he fell over. He looked down at his legs and rubbed the various bruises and scrapes he had received from the villagers. _What am I going to do, _panicked Naruto, _I have no place to go, I can't live out here on my own, and I can't go back to Konoha!_

Naruto jumped up from where he was sitting and looked around him. He didn't even recognize where he was. All around him were trees that were so tall they blocked out the sun and the sky. Everything around him seemed to be in twilight as if the day were ending, but Naruto knew it could only be noon. Naruto turned around facing the direction he had come from, and his thoughts wandered to Iruka-sensei.

_"Naruto, I need you to stay quiet. I want you to hold onto my hand and not let go," demanded Iruka in a whispered tone. The man sprinted from building to building with Naruto in tow looking around corners for any danger. All seemed fine as most of the village was in chaos over the Uchiha incident as Naruto learned to call it. The man and the boy slowly made their way through winding paths and old buildings that had long outlived their need. As Naruto glanced around him he noticed a cloaked body was following him and Iruka-sensei. _

_Iruka began to run faster as he picked up Naruto, aware of the other's presence. Iruka was in a full run the speed of which amazed Naruto. Everything around the boy moved in a blur. Colors blended with shapes and objects forming strange image's of the surroundings. Then the blur stopped. Iruka lowered Naruto to the ground and pulled out two Kunai which he held like daggers. In front of the two stood a large crowd of people with an assortment of odd weapons ranging from simple clubs to delicate katanas. No matter what the difference in weapon choice was, they all had the same mindset. They wanted the boy Iruka protected. _

Naruto looked out in every direction trying to think of the best path to take, but he couldn't decide. Each way looked treacherous as the forest seemed like it would engulf him forever. Naruto felt like he had no way out. As growls and strange noises began to fill his ears, Naruto ran and hid behind an old, rotting tree. The boy slowly inched his head forward until he could see what was beyond the tree. Nothing. Even as Naruto's eyes darted from right to left and up and down, he couldn't spot any creatures or other humans in the forest.

Looking up towards the sky, Naruto tried to find the sun. The boy thought back to the first classes he had taken at the academy which involved survival in the wilds. Naruto tried his best to summon up the memories of his education, but all he had ever done was pull pranks and skip school. A loud crack entered Naruto's ears startling the boy into attention. He began slowly creeping toward the sound of the noise and as he neared, he began to hear shouts and curses. Moments later as Naruto hid behind a bush filled with small red berries, he caught a glimpse of some men repairing a wagon on the side of a road. The blond-haired kid began arguing with himself as to whether he should go out and ask the men for some help, but he was afraid they too, might be from Konoha.

"Damn, the axle is completely busted, we have no way to repair it now!" stated one of the men as he pointed at another, "This is your fault for not paying attention to where you were going. How are we supposed to get those goods to Toki!"

"Shut up... there is a village only a couple miles-" the man suddenly stopped and looked towards Naruto. Naruto froze instantly fearing for his life. He shut his eyes and held his breath, but the man pushed the bush aside. The man fell backwards when Naruto jumped into the air in surprise, accidentally head-butting the man in the process. As he rubbed the bottom of his chin the man screamed in pain complaining that he bit his tongue. Naruto cowered back, eyes widening, his arms raised up to his face. The man's face showed no emotion as he looked carefully at the boy who was covered in scrapes and bruises.

"Hey, there is a little brat over here. He looks like he's hurt. What should I do with him," asked the man clearing his throat then smirking.

"Don't ask me Sasori. You're the one who found him. Your problem now."

The man frowned, letting out a long sigh and turned his eyes back to the blond-haired brat. Naruto slowly lowered his arms as he took a good look at the man. He was tall. Gigantic by Naruto's standards. His skin was like porcelain as Naruto noticed how pale the man was. Naruto asked the man if he was sick which caused the man to laugh awkwardly. The man lifted Naruto carefully, but the boy still winced from the contact. While he was setting Naruto down, he called to another man to grab the medical kit. Naruto's eyes glimmered as he reached for one of the needles. The man quickly batted Naruto's hand away.

"Don't touch those they're dangerous for a brat as young as you," ordered the man as he began bandaging one of Naruto's legs, "All of those vials contain medicine that could kill you if you were to inject too much."

Naruto folded his arms and began pouting as he whined, "That's not fair! I wanted to hold one of them. What makes you so different you don't look so old!"

One of the other men laughed, "Ha, Sasori looks like you found yourself quite the handful. Think you can take care of a little kid?"

"Boy or not someone should teach this brat not to touch dangerous things," replied Sasori in a dark, low voice that seemed to disturb the man, "Don't you have better things to do, I despise having to wait for things."

"Yeah, Yeah, you are just our bodyguard so learn some patience, Sasori. We are the ones paying you to keep us safe. I hope you're worth the sum of money we dropped to get you. The ninja that are after us are pretty powerful. Maybe you can make up for breaking the carriage by killing them all."

"Don't test me!" snapped Sasori as he widened his eyes and shot the man a vicious look, "I know my job. I don't need a damned moron like you telling me what to do." Sasori looked back down at Naruto and smiled, "What do you say, kid? Want to go for a walk? Oh, and before I forget what's your name, brat?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! My favorite things are Ram-" exclaimed Naruto as he was interrupted by Sasori.

"All I wanted to know was your name, ya punk! Don't lecture me on you're entire history."

Naruto turned to look away from Sasori and began pouting saying, "You're really mean, Sasori-kun! You should at least know that my favorite thing to eat is ramen. Ramen is like the most important thing in the world! Iruka-sensei wou-"

"What do you mean -kun you little shit," shouted Sasori as he gently drilled his fist into the side of Naruto's head, "I'm older than you! Address me with some respect! For example you could call me Sasori-sama or even Honorable Lord Sasori."

"Wow, you are really lame, Mr. Sasori," giggled Naruto as he slid off the cart and rested his feet on the ground.

"Brat, you have no right to call me lame," spat Sasori as he pushed Naruto aside, "Where did you get those clothes anyway? They look disgusting."

"Sasori, I hate to interrupt your heart to heart with the brat, but we need someone to get the tools for the axle," motioned a man as he pointed at the wagon.

"Jirobu, Naruto and I will go to the village we passed not too long ago and get you the materials you need to repair the wagon." explained Sasori to one of the other men, "It shouldn't take us too long. If you need protection my subordinate will be fine."

[---

Naruto had been walking along Sasori for what had seemed like hours. He looked at the young ninja walking beside him noticing his messy, red hair. Sasori was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt, matching black pants, and a pair of red gloves. He had a gray vest adorned with weapons slung over his shoulder, and Sasori wore a pair of worn, red sandals. The entire way Naruto complained that his feet hurt until Sasori lifted the boy onto his shoulders. He noticed that Naruto grew extremely happy when the kid was riding on top of his shoulders so he just left him like that. For most of the trip, Naruto had been loud and obnoxious explaining his life where he lived. Whenever Sasori tried to ask the boy a question, Naruto would quickly interrupt and talk about a whole new subject. Naruto was much quieter now, and Sasori looked up at the punk who was glancing at the surroundings.

"Hey punk, you know you can't stay with me forever, I'm sure your parents are worried about you. Where are they right now?" questioned Sasori as he looked back at the road.

Naruto's body tensed up as the boy heard the question. Sasori, startled by this, quickly set the boy on the ground and turned to face him.

"What's wrong now, kid?"

"My parents... My parents are dead. I don't know how but they both died when I was littler than I am now."

Sasori felt a small twitch of pain in his heart as he stared softly at Naruto. The boy rubbed at his eyes wiping away the silent tears that were slipping down his cheek. _This brat's parents died, _reflected Sasori, _Naruto has no one in his life. The boy is lonely just like I was. Should I help the little punk? _

"Naruto, what is your dream?" asked Sasori in a soft tone.

"I-I want, I want to become the greatest ninja ever, and one day become the Hokage!" hollered Naruto clenching his fists, "Nothing's gonna stop me!"

The boy now had a big grin on his face as he looked up towards Sasori. The red-haired ninja patted Naruto on the back and stood up straight. Sasori twisted himself so that he faced the road ahead and asked, "Naruto, how do you plan on becoming a ninja if you aren't in Konoha anymore. Why did you leave?"

Naruto gazed into Sasori's eyes stuttering, "I-I n-never meant to leave. The Hokage forced me to so that the villager's wouldn't hurt me anymore."

Sasori caught a glimpse of a tear running down from Naruto's eyes and before the boy began to cry, Sasori silenced him and told Naruto they wouldn't speak about it anymore. Lifting Naruto onto his shoulders, Sasori continued up the road at a gentle pace. While they continued to walk, Sasori noted how Naruto was deep in thought about something. This slightly disturbed Sasori because the man hated not knowing what others were thinking. However, this feeling soon passed as Sasori spotted the village ahead.

Walking into the village, Sasori was slightly on edge. Only hours before, this town had been full of life and now it seemed almost abandoned. Sasori's eyes widened and he reached for one of the kunai attached to his vest. As he was about to throw it, Naruto's stomach suddenly growled making its presence known. This caught Sasori by surprise and he threw the kunai just missing the head of a tiny white cat. The cat scurried away just as Naruto jumped off Sasori's shoulders and onto the dirt road below.

"Hey, um, Mr. Sasori, I'm really hungry do you think we could get some ramen or something," laughed Naruto as he rubbed his stomach.

"Absolutely, Naruto," replied Sasori intently staring at the buildings in the village, "It looks like there might be a place to eat over there. How about you go check it out while I find a carpenter?"

"Alright," screamed Naruto as he punched his arms in the air, "I'm finally getting some ramen today!"

As Naruto ran off to the shop, Sasori ducked into a building. His eyes narrowed, _Everyone in this village is dead. Those ninja that were following us came here. These ninja can't be too powerful. I can sense most of their chakra. There are five... No, six. I have to take- _Sasori stopped as he noticed one of the nin were heading in Naruto's direction. He quickly rushed towards Naruto and halted when he saw the boy fly through a window and crash into the street. Sasori gritted his teeth as a muscular man wearing blue pants lined with fur and large black boots jumped after Naruto. Before the man could finish the brat off, Sasori appeared in front of the man shooting several poisoned-laced needles into the attacker's stomach.

Three more ninja dressed similar to the other man appeared on the rooftops around the village. Sasori glanced sideways and saw a fourth strolling up the street, his hands in his pockets, as he headed for the two. In an instant, Sasori pulled a scroll from behind his back. As he unraveled the scroll, he placed his hand in the center resulting in a gigantic cloud of smoke to burst around Naruto and himself. Sasori didn't wait for the haze to disappear and immediately sent several puppets flying towards the enemy ninjas. While the nin on the roof were struck and fell to their deaths, the man that had been walking up the street swirled around his attackers and demolished the puppets in one blow. Sasori pulled the other puppets from their positions and sent them flying towards the fourth man.

Within an instant, the remaining puppets had been reduced to scrap as the man moved at a blur.

"My name is Aros. I'm going to kill you," said the man in a cool, crisp voice, "May I inquire as to your name?"

**Chapter 3 will be released on Saturday February 2nd**


	3. Dirt Road Blues

**Chapter 3: Dirt Road Blues**

Sasori backed away as Aros strolled closer. The man stood at least a foot taller than Sasori, and his hair was light blue with a streak of white through the center. Aros wore a tight, tan jacket with a blue cloud emblazoned upon the back. Around his waist was a belt laden with knives, kunai, and blood red scrolls. He wore extremely baggy, black pants that were string-tied around the ankle. Adorning Aros' feet, were two dust colored sandals.

"Puppet-master, I want you to seriously fight me," murmured Aros as he brought his hands together, "If you don't intend to kill, then you will never touch me."

"I always kill," retorted Sasori a blank look in his eyes as he began to pull off his vest, "I don't want to damage you too much. I think I might add you to my collection of puppets. How does that sound Aros?"

"You talk too much, Puppet-master."

As Sasori dropped his vest to the ground, his eyes widened because Aros disappeared. A moment later Sasori heard a slight noise behind him before jumping to dodge the attack. Aros stood in a cloud of dust where Sasori had just been. The man with blue hair clenched his fist tight. Before Sasori even landed he was dealt a blow to the stomach by Aros. _He moves fast and his fist feels like it is made of steel, _thought Sasori as he lunged forward at Aros. Just as Sasori was about to land a hit to the other man's head, Aros disappeared. Sasori glanced around him looking in every direction for the attacker until he realized that Aros was below him. Sasori was tired of Aros dodging every attack. This only irritated Sasori further as the red-haired ninja opened his palms and produced two barrels. Sasori twisted his wrists and a rush of superheated flames shot from his hands devouring the building and Aros. As Sasori jumped back from the torched building, Aros walked out his flesh glowing a bright white like metal in a forge. The glow soon faded while Aros released a loud laugh that enveloped the entire town. The man standing before Sasori was completely encased in steel.

"Surprised by my appearance?" joked Aros making the steel recede into his skin, "Most are. They think of me as a demon. That is how I have been called for the longest time. I am Aros the Steel Demon. You said you would turn me into a puppet right? That would be quite impossible all your puppets are formed into wood after you drain the fluids."

"Who talks too much now?" nagged Sasori as he brought his hands up aiming at Aros, "I'm growing impatient. Start fighting me or I'll make you suffer."

Before Aros could make a move, Sasori unleashed a torrent of flames that totally engulfed the steel man in front of him. Just like before the only effect it had was to make him glow white as the steel was heated. Sasori noticed the steel reshape itself into an odd shape and disappear. Within an instant Aros was behind Sasori reshaping himself in order to kick Sasori in the back of the head. Sasori narrowly dodged as a steel blade protruded from the man's leg and cut through the puppet-master's cheek. _This man is annoying I should melt him do- that's it! This fool is made of steel. All I need to do is heat him up then cool him down. His body will crack. _Aros punched Sasori in the stomach causing the red-haired nin to fly back several feet before landing on the ground.

Naruto's eyes were wide open. He had never seen a fight as amazing as this one. Sasori was fighting effortlessly all of his moves cool and calculated, while his opponent moved with frightening speed and possessed abnormal strength. The boy, hiding behind a pile of wood, had been watching from the very beginning and had been entranced from the first blow. Naruto wanted the power to do these things. Above all, Naruto wanted to become a strong ninja and right in front of his eyes was Sasori. When the fight was over Naruto would be sure to ask Sasori for one thing.

Sasori calmed himself down while he hid inside of a small flower shop. He looked out into the street where Aros stood looking around for Sasori's location. Sasori reached behind him and grabbed a dark black scroll. As he opened it, the writing was done in white ink. In a cloud of smoke Sasori summoned ten puppets, each one looking exactly like Sasori. Glancing back into the street he noticed Aros was no longer standing, but was instead destroying each building one by one. Sasori closed his eyes. Out in the street the ten Sasori's ambushed Aros catching the man off-guard. At first he thought they were simple clones, but then realized they were puppets when each one opened the palm of their hands and produced two barrels.

Each puppet shot two jets of flames at Aros who only stood there laughing as the flames did nothing except superheat the man's body. Then each puppet stopped and lowered their jaw. Aros stopped laughing and noticed another barrel protruded from each of the mouths.

Instead of a flame, a jet of cool water shot out of the mouths of the puppets. Each of the streams of water struck into Aros body and the man howled in pain.

Sasori strutted out of the shade of a building and slowly walked up to Aros who stood frozen, with the exception of his eyes which followed Sasori's movements. Sasori returned the puppets to their scroll, and as each one puffed out of existence, Sasori threw a Kunai into Aros with an explosive note attached.

"I guess I have to destroy you completely," mocked Sasori as he snapped his fingers.

Aros body shattered into clumps of steel when the note detonated. Sasori tilted his head to the side allowing one of Aros' arms to fly by harmlessly. Sasori gently let out a sigh as a cool breeze rushed past him ruffling his red hair. A small crater lay only meters away and Aros was now dead and in pieces. The fight had left Sasori tired and worn out. That man had more surprises than Sasori had suspected.

"Naruto?" shouted Sasori as he looked around for the boy, "You can come out it's safe."

Slowly and carefully Naruto emerged from his hiding place battered and shocked. Sasori hurried over to the boy and checked him for injury. Satisfied that no harm had come to Naruto, Sasori stood up and glanced back down the road.

"Well, this isn't good," muttered Sasori as he looked back in the direction they had come, "The others are probably hurt. I really needed that money too."

"Sasori-sensei," said Naruto pulling tightly on Sasori's pants, "Would you train me? Would you teach me how to be a ninja?!"

Sasori smiled and brushed his hand through Naruto's hair. _This kid is definitely more trouble than I could have imagined._

[---

Night had fallen quickly and silently. A tiny fire flickered spreading awkward shadows across the trees. Surrounding the flame was a group of men. Several were tied up and thrown down next to a man who was sitting on a chair. This man reached out and grabbed a tiny cup and began drinking.

"Where is it?" questioned the man as he sipped from the cup, "The item where did you place it."

"I don't know what you're talking about you jackass!"

"Kill him, now," stated the man without showing any emotion, "You, where is the scroll I want."

Sasori sat back and glanced at Naruto. The boy was staring intensely at the scene in front of them. All the men who had been repairing the wagon were now captured or dead, and Sasori's subordinate was tied up on a tree his body littered with kunai, knives, and shuriken. Naruto seemed to be gritting his teeth and his features resembled an angry beast as his fingers tightened on the log he was hiding behind. Sasori looked into the forest that encompassed the road and noticed several good spots to ambush the men below.

"Naruto, I want you to stay here and keep quiet," Sasori whispered as he put a finger on Naruto's lips, "Don't talk, don't move, and don't try and get closer."

Sasori quietly moved away making no noise as he passed through trees and bushes. He carefully drew closer to the group and hid behind an old, twisted oak. Without making a sound, Sasori pulled out several scrolls and summoned an army of puppets. The red-haired ninja slipped off his vest and shirt revealing an open abdomen. From the abdomen shot out hundreds of strings that attached themselves to the puppets. Sasori looked back down at the group and began to listen to their conversation.

"None of these men are going to talk," spat the man who had been sipping tea, "Kill all of them and search their belongings! If we cannot find what we came for, destroy everything!"

Every single one of the men screamed in horror as their throats were slit. Carefully several ninja began searching pockets, old backpacks, and tangled clothing. Most of the men had doubtful looks on their faces. When nothing was found, the leader slammed his cup into the ground and dug his foot into one of the bloody corpses lying on the dirt road. The leader's face was twisted in a snarl as he looked at his comrades and then jumped off into the distance. Moments later the others followed. Sasori let the breath he had been holding on to slowly slip between his teeth as he slumped down. He dismissed all of the puppets and grabbed his shirt and vest replacing the clothes to where the belonged.

Returning to where he left Naruto, Sasori gritted his teeth as he noticed the boy was gone. He looked down at the wagon and saw Naruto cradling one of the men's heads in his arms. With haste, Sasori jumped down to Naruto and grabbed the boy, whose face was covered in tears. Only seconds after Sasori disappeared into the forest, hundreds of explosive notes detonated instantly turning the wagon and bodies to ash. He held the small boy in his arms and comforted him as Naruto sobbed on Sasori's shoulder.

"Sasori-sensei, P-please," cried Naruto tightening his grip on Sasori's shirt, "P-please train me. Make me into a ninja! I beg you!"

Sasori wrapped his arms around the child's back and quietly whispered comforts to the boy. Naruto jumped out of Sasori's arms and wiped the tears away.

Naruto shook violently before he shouted, "Sasori-sensei, train me so I can become strong and protect people!"

"Alright Naruto," Sasori smiled, "I'll train you. It won't be easy, but you will be strong one day. I'll make sure you learn how to fight."

Naruto's face brightened as the boy began to grin. He ran over to Sasori and grasped the man in a tight hug. Naruto was smiling and crying letting Sasori hold him tightly until the red-haired ninja pushed him back.

"Naruto, there are going to be some rules. First, I want you to call me the great Lord Sasori. Second-"

**Author Note: **Thank you for reading up till now. I should have the 4th chapter, Wallflower, edited and posted by Friday, February 8th. If I experience any setbacks I will update this page or my bio-page for further information.


	4. Wallflower

**Author Note: **I ask for everyone's humblest apologies for releasing this chapter late. The last week for me was filled with a ton of work. Once again I thank all of those who have favorited and/or left a review.

**Chapter 4: Wallflower**

Naruto shivered as he slowly released his breath. He could see the gentle puffs of steam release from his mouth in the frigid cold. He pulled his jacket tight around him as he gazed out of the tree he was hiding within. It had been hours since Sasori had started the training for the day. Naruto had to find Sasori before dusk and currently he had no idea where his master had gone. It had already been seven months since the young boy had left Konoha and met Sasori. The former sand-nin had trained Naruto vigorously so that the boy could become strong. Naruto chuckled as he remembered the very first day of training.

"_Hmm," mumbled Sasori looking down at the scroll in front of him, "And you swear you never saw this before?"_

"_Never Sasori-sensei," Naruto replied as he tightened his fists, "I didn't even notice I had it on me." _

"_Well, that doesn't matter now. This scroll could be very useful in training you. Instead of becoming a master of puppetry like I am, you now have a choice Naruto. You can learn from the jutsus written on this scroll."_

A giant, red orb began to sink low in the sky as Naruto became even more desperate. He had to find Sasori before the sun set entirely. Naruto stood up and launched himself from the branch he had been squatting on. He kept himself moving until he found a small clearing. There Naruto analyzed his surroundings so that he could find Sasori's location. Naruto suddenly twisted his body and flicked his wrist hurling a shuriken into the branches of a nearby tree. A body fell out of the tree striking several branches until finally landing upon the cold soil. Naruto rushed over to the body only to be dismayed when he discovered it was another one of Sasori's puppets. This would be the eleventh puppet Naruto had attacked today. Naruto sighed realizing he was still nowhere close to discovering Sasori's whereabouts.

Only the lip of the beautiful, red sun could be seen. Naruto sat down watching it sink out of sight until he finally gave up. Soon he would be able to find Sasori-sensei, but today Naruto failed his training and would suffer the consequence of not being able to eat.

[----

"Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun," shouted Sasori as Naruto walked into the cave and fell backwards onto the ground.

"S-sasori-sensei, when did you," stuttered Naruto as he lifted himself back up, "How did you know it was my birthday?"

"You told me, you little dip-shit," mumbled Sasori as he glanced to the side, "Are you not happy or something? I came up with today's bogus training just so you wouldn't come back here while I was preparing."

"What!" screamed Naruto at the top of his lungs, "Y-you mean that all of my searching, everything I did out in the cold was for nothing?!"

"Yep," replied Sasori as he patted Naruto on the back, "One must always celebrate his birthday no matter what."

"Sasori-sensei," muttered Naruto angrily under his breath, "It... it was so cold out there! You could have made me do something else instead of sit in that weather. I felt like I was going to die out there."

"You're going to die in here if you keep being so ungrateful, you little punk. How dare you complain when I went to all this work making a cake for you. I even went and prepared some ramen."

Naruto's eyes glistened, "Sasori-sensei, you made me r-ramen! You are the best. Time to ea-"

"Stop right there," said Sasori as he grabbed Naruto's sleeve, "Why do you think you deserve that ramen?"

"B-but Sasori-sensei, you said you made it for me?" replied Naruto confused.

"Yeah, and you were being totally ungrateful. I honestly think you have no respect for me, you little brat! I've been training you for the last six months. I'm going to make you into an amazing ninja, and you thank me by complaining about my training while I prepare a party for your birthday!"

"S-sasori-sensei, I'm sorry. So may I please have some ramen?"

"Hmph, all you care about is ramen!" snapped Sasori as he grabbed a bowl, "Hurry up and eat. I have a present for you when you are finished."

Naruto quickly devoured his first bowl of ramen, but continued until he filled himself with ten more bowls. Sasori knocked him over the head for his gluttony, but Naruto just smiled. The red-haired ninja complained that Naruto would feel it the next day, and that he would make the boy's training especially hard. Naruto, however, shrugged it off and looked at Sasori with pleading eyes.

"So, Sasori-sensei, you said you have a present for me-"

"Nope, you don't get it until you say thank you with all your heart." interrupted Sasori.

"Sasori-sensei, you are so mean!"

"Say it!"

"T-thank you?"

"Why the hell did you say it like a question?!"

"Because I don't know why I'm thanking you."

"What?! I made you dinner, I bought you a present, and I've been training you to become a ninja! What do you mean you don't know why you should be thanking me. You little bastard, I swear I should straighten you out or something."

"Geez, Sasori-sensei you get worked up over nothing."

Sasori's face turned red as he shot a fist into Naruto's stomach, "You ungrateful little brat! I'm gonna torture you until you scream mercy!"

Sasori began to pummel Naruto into the dirt playfully until Naruto's face turned green. Sasori questioned the boy and began to run as Naruto gave chase. "S-sasori-sensei, I-i I don't f-feel so good."

Sasori backed away in horror as a slimy liquid poured out of Naruto's mouth and splashed onto the older ninja. Sasori stood disgusted as he looked down at Naruto who seemed to recover from his illness.

"You little shit," whined Sasori as he tried to clean himself off, "How could you throw up on me?"

"B-but Sasori-sensei, you caused me to throw up," complained Naruto walking over to the warmth of the crackling fire, "So, when are you giving me my present?"

"You are still worrying about that?" snapped Sasori in surprise, "Before I give it to you, I need to wash this filth off my body."

Naruto sighed as Sasori disappeared around a corner, "That really was a waste of ramen."

[----

Naruto lay soundly, filling the cave with the sound of his snoring. Sasori strolled back in relieved from the hot waters that lay deeper within the cave. He let out a long yawn as he kicked the boy in the stomach and shouted into his ear. The boy jumped up in pain and began to whine as Sasori pulled at his hair.

"You shouldn't fall asleep like that, you leave yourself open to pranks," explained Sasori as he grabbed something hidden behind a large, gray boulder, "Here, this is what I got you. You looked like you needed some new equipment."

Naruto slid the lid off the box and let a small tear roll down his cheek as he reached for the orange jacket that lay in the box. He pulled it out and held onto it tightly while he thanked Sasori several times over. Sasori smiled as he leaned against the cold rock of the cave. Naruto quickly pulled of his torn ragged clothes, and began to pull on the crisp, fresh orange clothing Sasori had given him. Moments later Sasori let out a whistle as Naruto stood pulling at the orange jacket and matching pants. The jacket was completely orange except for two patches of blue on the shoulders. The pants were completely orange and fell loosely to his ankles. However, what Naruto liked most of all was the spiral pattern attached to the left arm.

"Sasori-sensei, you even got the spiral pattern right." beamed Naruto as he continued to fawn over his new clothing.

"I never forget any details about a person, Naruto. You told me all of your favorite things. I figured that would be what you wanted for your birthday. Besides now you are seven years old, and you are going to have a lot more responsibilities. Like taking your training more seriously." muttered Sasori making a scary face, "Tomorrow is going to be hell for you, Naruto!"

"Sorry, but that might have to wait," mumbled a man standing outside the cave, "Sasori-san, I have a proposition to make you. You wouldn't mind if my associate and I come in would you?"

"Sasori-sensei, d-do you know these men? They scare me." whispered Naruto as he positioned himself behind Sasori's legs.

Sasori clenched his fists and gazed back at the two men. They were shrouded in darkness as they stood just out of reach of the fire's light. Sasori was disturbed by this and was unsure whether he should allow the two shady figures within the cave. He analyzed them for a moment making sure they posed no threat before saying, "You may come in."

The two figures slowly walked into the firelight and Sasori and Naruto quickly took in their appearance. The two were wearing a matching pair of straw hats that hid their faces. Both men also wore a long, black cloak with a pattern of red clouds across the front and back. The two also wore one ring, but on different fingers. Sasori noticed that the men had on nail polish, but each had a slightly different shade. One of the men carried a large wrapped sword that he wore strapped to the back, while the other, who had spoken, had no apparent weapons. However, the one with no weapons had a strange appearance. He had a large mouth sprouting from his shoulders that resembled a man-eating plant, and from what Sasori could see half of him was white and half was black.

"What did you come here for?" asked Sasori impatiently as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "If you have any business with me, speak up quickly and then leave."

"Sasori-sama, we have come here for you," replied the black and white colored man, "We would like for you-"

"Zetsu, just tell the bastard that we want him to join already!" interrupted the other man with the giant, wrapped sword, "I'm getting annoyed. Hurry up so we can go get something to eat."

"Forgive me, but my comrade wants me to make this quick." quickly said the man called Zetsu, "My name is Zetsu and this person next to me is Kisame. We both belong to an organization of ninja and our leader wishes for you to join us."

Sasori glared at Zetsu as he lowered his hand from Naruto's shoulder. Sasori had already gathered that he was being forced rather than asked to join. More than likely these two ninja were sent here to either get him to join or kill him. If Sasori refused, they would not just kill him, but they would murder Naruto as well. Sasori looked down at the boy in order to reassure Naruto that everything was okay, but the blond-haired child was still shivering in fear. Sasori drew back in shock. Even at such a young age, Naruto could sense how powerful these men were. Zetsu and Kisame both had a murderous aura about them that smothered Sasori.

"You are demanding for me to join, correct?" snapped Sasori pulling Naruto closer to him, "Why should I join?"

Zetsu smiled and seemed to be talking between himself, also, Sasori noticed that Zetsu seemed to have two different voices. One was softer and gentler, but had a creepy sound to it, while the other was harsher and sounded gravelly. They seemed to be arguing until Zetsu finally looked up and smiled.

"There is no point in lying. If you refuse to join. we will kill you."

_Just as I thought, _wondered Sasori, _I can't run. Naruto would never be able to keep up and they would hunt us down. I would be at a disadvantage if I fought, especially with that Kisame guy. He is beyond powerful. Should I join? _While Sasori was pondering what he should do, Naruto's grip tightened as the boy shuddered in fright. He knew already that these men could kill him without mercy or regret.

"Sasori-same, we will give you one day to think this over. If you refuse, both of you will die."

The two men turned and began walking out of the cave. Kisame suddenly halted and slowly turned his head.

"Please don't run. I hate it when people run away from us. It makes the killing part less fun."


	5. Outlaw Blues

**Author Note: **I would like to ask for everyone's forgiveness for this chapter being so late. When I was first going to release it, I built a new computer and had to fix the glitches in it. Then I got myself sick.

So now, I can finally give you chapter 5.

**Chapter 5: Outlaw Blues**

The cave Sasori sat in was no longer cheerful as it had been yesterday when Naruto and he celebrated the young brat's birthday. Sasori looked around noticing the deepest shadows of the cave that called out in hunger. The walls of the cave stretched outward in a gothic like manner giving the cave the appearance of a cathedral. Several large boulders crossed over the ceiling acting as large rafters. The walls of the cave seemed to have been painted with blood as the red rock of the cave glistened from the dim moonlight.

Sasori drew his attention over to the embers of the fire. The dying embers still brightened the room of the cave however, they had sacrificed their heat long ago. Naruto was sleeping comfortably next to the remaining ashes of the fire. Sasori noticed the boy's chest slowly rise with each breath and silently fall as he released the air held in his lungs. The young boy was clutching onto his jacket keeping the invading cold at bay. Sasori let out a small chuckle. _He could care less about the dangers of the world, _mused Sasori, _I wonder how I can protect him in the morning?_

Sasori snapped back to attention as Naruto rolled over into a new position and then fell back into a restless sleep. It had been hours since the visit by Zetsu and Kisame and since that time Sasori had been racking his mind for a way out of this mess that would keep Naruto from being injured or killed. He had debated the possibilities for the last hour, but Sasori found no other choice. Only one solution had appeared before him. He knew that he might not die if he ran, but Naruto's precious body would be killed quickly. Sasori bit his tongue in hatred of the choice he had to make, but he would definitely talk to Naruto before he made his choice. Sasori trusted the boy more than anything else in the world. Naruto's opinion was invaluable.

Naruto had slowly opened his eyes and had been struck by his surroundings. He hadn't expected the cave to be so dank and scary. He rose up from his spot on the cold floor and stood near the entrance. For a moment, the cool chill of early morning struck Naruto like a cold dagger until he tightened his grip on his coat and moved away from the entrance. Outside, a gentle snow had fallen purifying the surrounding land. It was one of the first times Naruto had ever seen snow, and the radiant glow that shimmered across the white powder peaked Naruto's endless curiosity. The boy wanted nothing more than to play in the snow, but he knew that now wasn't the time to play.

Naruto recalled the events of the night before. How the two shadowed figures stepped into the cave and gave the clear warning to Sasori. Those two men frightened Naruto to his very core. At no other point in his life had he felt such a dreaded fear overcome him. It felt as if shadow itself had latched upon the boy and dragged him down into the depths of oblivion. A shiver crawled its way up Naruto's spine chilling the boy even more in the damp cold. For a reason unknown to Naruto, the two men that had visited that night had a sinister aura surrounding them. It wasn't exactly evil, but Naruto couldn't put his finger on just what had been troubling him. They just didn't seem right.

Sasori brushed a stray hair back into place with a swift motion of his hand. Hours ago he had left the cave and Naruto in it to collect his thoughts. For what had seemed like days, Sasori had walked the forest that skillfully surrounded the cave as if it were a pack of wolves sniffing out their prey. Sasori had grown tired of fighting with himself, devising various scenarios of escape to shoot them all down with the same response. He can not escape. Only an hour ago he had noticed the pair of eyes that had been watching him diligently, following his every move. He wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for a quick glance at a nearby fox. The fox had been sniffing at a tree, and it was there that he noticed the man from last night, Zetsu, conjoined with the tree. Sasori had been keeping his senses alert since then upon the man that moved from surface to surface, from tree, to rock, to soil. The man could shift through any substance, altering it for his own purposes.

A quick glance at a nearby tree informed Sasori of Zetsu's lingering presence. For a while now, Sasori had wanted to test the man's unerring skill. He had been able to track down Sasori as if he read minds. Was it even possible to escape Zetsu's feral, golden eyes? Sasori gazed upward at the darkened sky. Gray clouds pushed at each other, while spilling large snowflakes that melted upon touching skin.

With a slow release of breath, Sasori determined it was best to return to Naruto back in the cave. If the boy had awakened, he was sure Naruto would be worrying about Sasori's whereabouts. With one last look upon the snow-covered, pine forest, Sasori jumped into a nearby tree. Hurling himself from limb to limb, Sasori quickly made his way back to the cave. Outside he noticed how the cave almost looked like a dreaded monster. Large icicles had formed a ring of teeth around the cave's mouth giving it the appearance of a wolf or fox about to strike. Sasori pushed his way around the trees while listening to the crunch of snow beneath his feet. The cave loomed ahead of him. Would Naruto agree to join this organization?

With Sasori away, Naruto had gone about the cave preparing a meal. While he wasn't terrific at cooking, he was able to make several acceptable meals. Naruto had been depressed upon discovering that both he and Sasori had devoured their stock of ramen. Instead of ramen, Naruto decided to cook something different. He sat down and began to skin the rabbits he had hunted only minutes ago. With the skin carefully removed, Naruto began preparing everything else. He had been so busy he hadn't noticed Sasori walk through the entrance and sit down.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Sasori as he removed a padded jacket.

Startled, Naruto burned his hands on the black pot, "Yow, yow, yow, Sasori-sensei, I was going to make some breakfast. I was hungry and I thought you might like something too."

"Well thank you, Naruto, but what did you decide to make? I thought we had run out of ramen." mocked Sasori as he stumbled over to the fire.

Naruto wasn't exactly sure what he was going to make. He had hunted the rabbits thinking they would taste good cooked. When he returned to the cave he had grabbed a pack of noodles and several other ingredients, but he was unsure of what he was cooking. "I'm um, not sure. I had gathered some ingredients, but didn't know how to prepare them."

"Naruto, you are as air-headed as ever." sighed Sasori as he lifted the lid off the pot. A horrible stench rose up through his nostrils causing Sasori to instantly gag. "What the hell did you put in this. Naruto?"

"I-i'm not sure. I put in the rabbits I hunted, some noodles, a bit of curry powder, and a few other things. Oh, earlier I spilled a lot of wasabi in the pot, but I didn't think it would matter much."

"Naruto! You stupid little monkey. How do you expect anyone to eat that?" shouted Sasori as he turned his nose up at the fowl stew. "Nobody in their right mind would eat that crap."

"I-I'm sorry, Sasori-sensei. I am not that great at cooking so I wasn't sure what to do."

"It's fine, just don't put in weird ingredients next time." remarked Sasori while pouring out the contents of the stew outside the cave. He glanced down and a sour look covered his face as he noticed the stew killed the grass it had touched. "Naruto, this stuff was so foul it killed the grass outside the cave.

"Sasori-sensei. stop making fun of me. My stew couldn't have done that! Oh, Sasori-sensei, where did you go earlier?" asked Naruto, his stomach rumbling.

"I walked around the forest. I needed to clear my head and gather my thoughts." replied Sasori as he sat down and looked Naruto in the eye, "Naruto, I have something very important to ask you. I want you to think before you answer. Those two men from-"

"Yes, Sasori-sensei. I will join with you."

"Wha- how did you know what I was going to ask?" shouted Sasori, "I told you to think about your answer too!"

"I have been thinking. Sasori-sensei. I was thinking about it all morning."

Sasori smiled at the small child in front of him. Naruto understood the situation very well. Those two men had proven themselves to be too powerful for Sasori to handle currently, and Naruto had been frightened to death by them. As he began to pat Naruto on the head, Sasori lifted his head as he noticed a presence near the entrance of the cave. A loud, booming laugh echoed through the stone of the cave, as if the voice circled Sasori. At the entrance of the cave stood the two figures. Kisame and Zetsu had their arms folded, and both were staring at Sasori. Finally, Kisame broke the silence as he walked over and lifted Naruto up from the ground.

"Welcome to Akatsuki. We have high hopes for you, for both... of you."

[-----

A week had passed since the visit in the cave. Both Sasori and Naruto had been escorted by Zetsu and Kisame to the Land of Rain. Ever since entering the dreary land. Naruto had been soaked. Looking up to the skies, all was gray and shadowed. The sun offered no resistance to the clouds that always released rain down to the earth. Even though Kisame had sheltered Naruto quite a bit, offering his strange jacket. Naruto had been soaked to the bone. A chilling cold had overcome the party as they continued their journey towards what appeared to be a large city.

Ever since Naruto had caught sight of the first high-rise, he had been astounded by the sheer height of the buildings. He had never seen any structure man-made scratch at the very sky. Even the tallest building in Konoha, the Hokage's mansion couldn't compare to the smallest building in this city. Kisame had knelt next to Naruto explaining the history of this land. For over a century, it had been the location of hundreds of wars between various countries. The wars had left the country in a state of disarray. The government had little control over it's people, but even still, the ninja village that loomed ahead had been the center of power.

_Amegakure, _thought Naruto, _Kisame had said that's where my future lie. What did he mean? _Naruto looked over at the strange man who resembled a fish. Earlier in their adventure, Naruto had regretted calling Kisame a fish-face. The man's eyes had taken on a red appearance and he had started to pull at Naruto's hair telling the boy to take what he said back. The boy couldn't help but laugh as he remembered how angry the fish-man had become. As Naruto looked ahead at the towering buildings, he stood silently thinking about what his future would be. He had grown attached to Sasori who had trained him in the ways of a ninja. Would Naruto be separated from Sasori? Naruto shook the thought away and caught up to the rest of the group. He looked at Zetsu and Kisame noting the dark expressions on both of their faces, and then latched himself to Sasori. Sasori looked down at Naruto smiling as he rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder.


	6. The Siren

**Author Note: **Hello once again, I now bring you Chapter 6 of my Naruto fanfiction, Letters in Blood. Chapter 5 was released later than I had expected so I tried to write Chapter 6 a little quicker to keep you all entertained. Please Note that the story begins to stray to some other characters besides Naruto as I find their growth just as important. Enjoy!

**Chapter 6:** The Siren

A dank puddle lie in the middle of the street catching the falling rain. Nearby more puddles and small ponds littered the crumbling streets and alleys. Stones and bricks lay about, misplaced from their original homes. Ripped and tattered wires were scattered about the street torn down from the constant torrent of rain. After weeks of disuse, the wires carried no charge and served only to scare the random passerby that mistook the electrical wires for snakes. Barely any life was visible among the rubble covered roads. The few humans that populated the streets ran from porch covers, to the safety of a roof along their path. Many cast a glance at the overcast sky, silently wishing for a break in the constant rain.

Naruto had been surprised at how ugly the city now appeared. Only an hour ago as he had sat staring at the city from afar, while Sasori and the others stopped for a rest at a small tea shop, he had remarked at its beauty. He now regretted believing in the purity of such a city. Stones and other pieces of rubble had piled up from the constant strain of war. No one had cared to repair any of the roads or buildings within the city. There was no profit in such an endeavor. Naruto noticed how people just walked around the debris as if it didn't exist. They gazed out ahead of them with a glazed look in their eyes. Most of these people seemed like zombies. They roamed the city with no goal in mind, and often would just take shelter and stare at the dark clouds above. Looking at their faces, Naruto noted that many of the people looked as if they were crying.

As soon as the group had entered the city nearly an hour ago, Zetsu had disappeared into the wall of a steel building. Kisame quickly explained how Zetsu was going to tell their leader of the arrival. Later he said Zetsu would return to escort the two to the leader's quarters atop the largest building within the city. Naruto now gazed up at the behemoth of the building. Though the clouds were thick, he was just barely able to make out the delicate curves of the black arch at the top of the tower. Next to the arch stood an abandoned statue. Though it was hard to discern the features, Naruto could tell it had been destroyed some time ago. Naruto quickly snapped back to reality as Sasori called out to him.

"Hurry Naruto, the storm is growing worse," yelled Sasori over the howl of the wind, "We need to seek some shelter!"

Kisame waved at the two to follow, "I have a place in mind, follow me and we will soon be dry."

After walking for more than an hour, the three finally arrived in front of a massive structure. A single tower struck at the sky like a sword poised to strike. Surrounding this lone spire were several arches that curved up to support it. Delicately carved into each arch was the symbol for one aspect of nature. The arches themselves reached higher than Naruto had imagined. As the group came closer to the building, Naruto noticed how each of the arches not only followed a curve, but they were all twisted in strange ways. He immediately had a feeling of revulsion because the structure's ominous feel. To Naruto, nothing about the spire felt right. Naruto looked back at the arches and noticed there were only nine.

Naruto remained uneasy as they passed through the large wooden gate to gain entrance into the main hall of the tower. Everything around Naruto became black as the door shut behind the three. He looked back to Sasori, and noted the slight darkening of the man's features. Naruto tightened his grip on Sasori's hands as his tension spread into the taller ninja. Everything about this building was wrong. It felt as though they had strolled into a never-ending trap, an abomination.

[-------

A flash of pink ran around the corner of a small shop filled with an assortment of fruits. A small girl ran around a crowd of people in front of several market stalls. She expertly dodged between men and women as she made her way up the alley. The girl was wearing a soft, pink dress that wavered in the wind. She had her pink hair tied up with a bow so that her bangs would cover her forehead. A pair of simple, black shoes adorned the young girl's feet. She had a pair of white knee-high socks that sagged because they were slightly too large. Her emerald green eyes constantly searched the faces of the people around her as if analyzing a threat.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, there is no rush!" shouted a rotund little boy holding a bag of snacks, "School doesn't start for a while."

"I know that Chouji-kun," replied Sakura with a slight giggle as she continued onward.

The school was a rather large building that didn't have any special adornments. It just looked like a plain square building. Like the Hokage mansion, this building stood within the shadow of the monument that boasted the past Hokages' faces as well as the current. Sakura glided through the main entrance and slowed to a walk as she entered the nearly empty halls. Classes wouldn't begin for another hour, but she always liked arriving early. Her classroom was the only other place besides her home where she wasn't picked on. This was the first day of a new semester. Sakura was eager to discover who her new classmates would be, she hoped with all of her might, that some might be her friends.

[----

A strong gust of wind curled around Naruto as the boy was thrust backward out of Sasori's grip. The moment the three had entered the gnarled and twisted building, a strange chakra had reacted violently. Kisame had explained that it was no big deal and occurrences such as this were common, but that did not dissuade the wrenching feeling in both Sasori's and Naruto's stomachs. Each gust of wind seemed to carry a foul breath that caused the three to reel back, repulsed. Slowly torches along the walls of the building began to flare up revealing a large statue that faced Naruto and the others. A pool of chakra surrounded the statue. The chakra appeared to be forming a shape or figure in Naruto's mind. Almost as if it was calling out or crying for attention. Then Naruto realized it wasn't calling, it was trying to break free. Naruto suddenly fell to a knee as he felt something strange stir inside him. His skin instantly felt like it was going to burn off him as the chakra flared once more. Then as if nothing had happened, the invisible flames that had seemed to be consuming his skin, and the chakra surrounding the statue disappeared.

Kisame picked Naruto from the ground as the boy's shirt was soaked in sweat. This peaked Kisame's attention as he gently felt Naruto's forehead. The boy's skin was hot to the touch and it was no wonder Naruto's shirt had become drenched in the sweat.

"Your brat has a pretty bad fever," Kisame pointed out to Sasori, who had just gained back his footing, "See for yourself his head is on fire."

Sasori rushed to Naruto's side and gripped his head, the false flesh that covered his hand felt ready to catch flame. The boy indeed had a fever, one that could kill him. Sasori lifted Naruto up in his arms as Kisame guided the two towards a dark infirmary. As the door opened, Sasori caught a glimpse of a perverse and sour man. He had on the robes of a medical ninja, but he looked as if he had performed twisted and ugly experiments on himself and others before him. The man lifted himself from a tiny chair in the corner of the room and slowly approached the men. He lifted out a hand and merely touched the boy as a smirk darted across his face.

A glint entered the man's eyes as he began licking his lips, "What happened to this boy? Do you know how he became in this state?"

"The damnable rain and cold," coughed Kisame slightly disturbed by the doctor, "The punk likely wasn't used to it and caught a fever."

"No, this runs far deeper than any fever!" shouted the man in a rush of excitement. "Quickly lay him out on that table so I may examine him."

Sasori obeyed after seeing a slight nod from the blue-skinned man. Gently, he laid Naruto onto one of the many tables in the room before he was knocked out of the way by the impatient doctor. The medical ninja quickly removed Naruto's shirt and drew back as he came across a tattooed swirl that was branded upon the boy's stomach. It was the mark of a seal. Sasori had never seen the likes of it before. No seal he had ever performed, or seen performed left a mark such as this one. Sasori shifted his eyes to gaze upon his shark-like friend. Kisame seemed just as intrigued as Sasori. Neither of the two understood the significance behind the boy's seal. _This boy is completely different,_ thought Sasori as he put a hand on Kisame's shoulder, _What is he?_

[-----

Sakura let out a hefty sigh as she laid her head down on the large, wooden desk in front of her. Only a few of her friends had actually made it into this class. While Iruka had become her new teacher, and he was a very nice man, Sakura was upset with how things had turned out. Ever since the village had gone on a rampage, she had waited to meet the blond-haired boy that saved her. Since then she hadn't even caught a glimpse of him around the village. The main reason Sakura had been looking forward to coming to school today was the chance that the boy might be in her new class.

The school day dragged on longer than Sakura had hoped, but she gathered her stamina to remain longer than the others. She wanted to ask Iruka about the boy. After all, if anyone knew who or where the blond-haired boy was, it was Iruka-sensei.

Sakura slowly stepped up to the old, wooden desk. The edges had been nicked by many people accidentally kicking or nudging the desk. The legs of the desk looked as if they had been slowly gnawed away by a dog, but Sakura knew it was simply from age. Sakura waited while Iruka finished talking with one of the other students, a short black haired boy that sighed at least every minute. Sakura tried to recall the boys name, but all she did was strain her brain with no results. As soon as Iruka sent the boy out of the room, he peered up at Sakura questioningly. Sakura quickly took a seat in front of him and then began to explain about how she had met the boy. Iruka nodded as he recalled everything in detail.

Naruto had protected the girl from a gang of bullies getting himself beaten up instead. That same day Naruto disappeared from the village. As Sakura finally asked where the boy was, Iruka suddenly choked. The Hokage had sworn him to silence, but the girl in front of him deserved an explanation.

"Sakura, I don't know if-" mumbled Iruka as he scratched at the back of his head.

"Please Iruka-sensei! I really want to meet this boy he is the only person that has ever truly been nice to me," pleaded Sakura with a hurt look on her face.

Iruka released a long, drawn sigh knowing he didn't have the stamina to fight the girl, especially when it was about Naruto. "What I'm about to tell you must be kept a secret."


	7. Beauty of the Beast

**Author's Note** I would like to ask for everyone's forgiveness in the slow release of the last chapter. I know it has been quite a while since my last update, but I went through three very stressful and straining weeks. Now that it is all over I can continue writing my story, Letters In Blood, with very few pauses. The next few chapters including this will shift focus towards both Naruto and Sakura. Once again I am sorry for the delay, and I now present you with Chapter 7 of Letters In Blood.

**Chapter 7: **Beauty of the Beast

Naruto brushed against something cold and wet. He carefully opened his eyes feeling a great strain in order to keep them open. Surrounding him in all directions were rows of steaming pipes. He looked around for some entryway or some path that would lead him out of the room. As soon as he found one, he jumped up shocked that he had been sitting in a large pool of water. His opinion soon changed as he noticed that it wasn't just a pool of water, but that everything was covered by a layer of water that reached his knees. He looked ahead of him and saw an open pathway lined with pipes venting superheated steam. Naruto shuddered afraid of where he was. Without hesitation, Naruto ran down the pathway following the pipes.

Within moments Naruto stood horrified. He was standing within a large open chamber, but part of it was hidden in darkness behind a gigantic iron gate. The gate spanned the entire length of the room and looked as though rust had eaten away at it over the years. Carefully, Naruto approached the iron bars noting how each one was thicker than his thigh. Upon the center bar was a note, but Naruto couldn't quite make out what it warned or said. Then Naruto felt it. A pulse. Ahead of him he could feel a chill that seemed to be calling him. The feeling ran down his spine and through each of his bones until his entire body was victim to this cold, haunted feeling. As the boy looked up and into the vast darkness beyond the bars, he saw a pair of vile yellow eyes. The eyes of a beast.

--

The doctor, who Sasori learned was named Atama Gao, had quickly calmed Naruto's fever. However, the man had ushered both he and Kisame out while he examined the boy's body. Sasori sat in the corner of a room facing the door the doctor had forced him from. His leg continued to bounce as his tension rose. Sasori bit a finger worrying for Naruto's safety. Earlier, Sasori had looked at Kisame and asked him about the doctor, but Kisame new barely anything about the man besides his strange experiments on bodies. The doctor had a twisted history with his examinations, but he had been asked to work for Akatsuki as a medical ninja because of his skill with the scalpel. This did not relieve Sasori's tension, but instead added further strain to his worries.

Sasori sat up impatiently, knowing something was wrong. Several hours had passed by and no word had come from the disfigured doctor. Sasori slowly began to pace forward as his impatience began to get the better of him. Ever since he could remember, he hated waiting. Sasori felt time was wasted when he had to wait. The mood and disposition of the doctor hadn't helped him either. He swore that he would punish the man cruelly for making him wait this long without any word on Naruto's condition.

As Sasori continued to pace, Kisame shrugged and leaned his head onto his fist. He sat their waiting for quite some time until he began to get annoyed with Sasori's incessant pacing. Before he could utter a word or make an argument, a shadow appeared in the room. Zetsu fell from the ceiling twisting his body at the last moment to land on his feet. He lowered his head for a moment before taking a deep breath and lifting his eyelids. He looked at both Kisame and Sasori, who had stopped pacing the second he noticed Zetsu standing beside him, and began arguing amongst himself.

In a somewhat vicious voice, Zetsu hollered at Kisame, "Do you even know how long it took me to find you?" Zetsu continued ranting at Kisame for quite some time complaining about how Kisame didn't lead the two where he was supposed to. Finally he turned to Sasori and gently asked, "How is the boy?"

Sasori eased his tension a little, "I don't know, the doctor hasn't been out of the room in hours. I also haven't been able to feel any chakra within the room."

"That room is protected by several wards in order to protect those inside." mumbled Zetsu in response. "The only thing we can do is wait until the doctor comes out to speak with us."

Sasori instantly stepped up to Zetsu grabbing the man by the neck. "I am tired of waiting! I must know what has happened to Naruto. That boy means everything to me." Sasori continued to shout as he released his hold on Zetsu. "If you keep me waiting any longer, I'll kill you."

As Sasori backed away, Zetsu let a smirk dominate his face. Before he could say anything, the three men twisted as they heard a horrible scream. A scream that made their skin tingle and their heart stop. The scream came from inside the room. Naruto was in danger!

--

An orange rim of light scattered about the ground as the last glimpse of the sun sank low into the sky. Sakura sat with her knees held up to her face while a cool summer breeze shifted through the ragged trees surrounding her. Sakura's legs shivered upon the touch of the chilling breeze. She had been here for several hours, sitting and thinking. After Iruka had related his story of the boy, Naruto, Sakura had run to this park. It was the same park in which Naruto had protected her. She didn't understand why, but she felt a heart-wrenching loss whenever she thought of the boy's fate. He had been driven from the village and since then no news had reached any of the shinobi of Konoha of his whereabouts. Many assumed he was dead, but Iruka had promised Sakura the boy was still alive and well. Though it hadn't helped to ease her sudden pain then, thinking back at those words helped Sakura calm herself.

She tilted her head to look at the fading sky. Though there was still some light left from the sun, hundreds of thousands of stars already glittered overhead. The sight took the breath from Sakura's lungs. Another cool breeze swept through the park causing Sakura to grip at herself as the cool touch of the wind caressed her skin. She needed to return home for the night before her mother began to worry. As she got up from the park bench, she made a small promise to herself. Sakura would never forget the small boy that had saved her, and allowed her to smile. She promised she would find a way to save the boy that saved her.

--

Sasori slipped on the thick blood that drenched the floor of the darkened room. In the center of the room was a small table that supported Naruto. Sasori carefully walked through more puddles of blood as he attempted to reach Naruto's side. Over in the corner he spotted the sickening doctor. The man was clutching at his side, where his right arm should have been. Sasori looked around again and spotted the man's crumpled arm on the other side of the room. Just a few feet away was the doctor's leg lying limp and bleeding on the floor.

Zetsu quickly crossed the room to the doctor, whose face was contorted in fear. The doctor began to howl with laughter as Zetsu tried to bring the man to his senses. Almost instantly the doctor's head fell down, his chin resting on his chest. He was dead. Sasori glanced down at the boy and noticed that there were no cuts or bruises. In fact the boy was completely unharmed. However, the mark that Sasori had noticed earlier on Naruto's stomach carried a faint red glow. Sasori quickly covered the mark to keep it out of Zetsu's and Kisame's sight. Sasori gently lifted Naruto off the table cradling the boy's head against his chest. He gazed down at Naruto's face wondering what it was that had protected the child. He looked over at Zetsu and Kisame yearning for some sort of response to what had just happened.

"We probably won't ever know what occurred here." mumbled Zetsu with a sigh. Another voice that acted almost angry replied, "What are you talking about? The boy is alive isn't he? He would know what just happened." The other voice snapped back, "You are a fool, the boy was unconscious."

"So, what are we going to do?" questioned Kisame as he wiped some of the blood off his cloak.

"The leader awaits the two of them. We take the boy and Sasori to him."

Kisame howled with laughter, "And what about this doctor fellow who will clean up that mess?"

"We will have some of the underlings and attendants handle the investigation and clean up of what just transpired." remarked Zetsu as he was swallowed into a wall. "I trust you can take them to Leader's room, Kisame?"

Kisame simply nodded as he turned to face Sasori. He made a motion to follow with his hand, and led Sasori through several passages. As they continued walking through the building, Sasori noticed how the walls seemed almost alive. The lengths of the walls appeared to writhe and sliver moving back and forth in a set motion. Even the floor seemed to split itself apart and come back together again as if following the two men. A gentle wind brushed across Sasori's face upon entering into a new hallway. The hall was larger than it appeared. The walls and floors were all painted exactly the same, even the light hit each surface with an equal spread. The room disoriented Sasori causing him to kneel to the ground with his head spinning. The only thing that gave him focus was the large silver door at the very end.

Kisame helped the former sand-nin to his feet careful so that Naruto would not fall from Sasori's arms. They both inched forward, Kisame silent, while Sasori's heart began to beat faster until it gave the room a rhythmic melody. The silver door slowly opened revealing a bright light that blinded Sasori. Through the light Sasori spotted a dark figure shrouded in the rain. He looked at Sasori with piercing eyes, eyes that opened up the horror in Sasori's mind.


	8. Miracle

**Author Note:** Please forgive me for the extremely slow release of this chapter. My life has been turned upside down more than once these last few weeks. I put a lot of effort into this chapter in the hopes of making it longer than all my other chapters. I really hope all of you that have been reading enjoy the chapter. At the end you can look forward to a preview of Chapter 9 which will be released about two weeks from now when my school year ends.

**Chapter 8:** Miracle

Sakura gently knelt to the ground listening to the wind shift through the trees. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds around her. Beneath the sound of the wind, she caught the echo of a bird's chirping and the movement of a fox in the bushes nearby. Her brow tightened as she reigned her focus in even tighter. She then noticed the sound of a foot hitting a tree branch. It was silent and subtle at first, and Sakura barely took notice of it. However, the foot continued to hit branch after branch sounding like the beat of a drum. Sakura stood up from the ground and finally took notice of her two companions.

Earlier in the day, Iruka-sensei had informed Sakura's class of a training exercise to help the student's tracking abilities. He split the class into groups of three to also teach them about Konoha's squads. Sakura remembered how each squad was normally a group of four, three ninja and a squad leader. In the exercise for today, they would be short one member for each squad. The class' goal was to find Iruka before the day ended. The catch was that if a squad found Iruka, the rest had to give up. Most of the kids had been motivated for the opportunity of having no homework for a week if they were successful. Sakura on the other hand wanted to push herself to her limits so that she could test her strengths and bolster her weaknesses.

Sakura turned and looked at her two classmates. She had been lucky in the group picks because she was placed with Hinata Hyuuga and Choji Akimichi. Both were extremely good friends of Sakura and they also had very useful skills. Hinata was a small, timid girl with short blue hair that covered her eyes. She, however, was the most useful on the squad for tracking as she had the Byakugan, the eyes of the Hyuuga clan. Hinata's pale, gray eyes could see not only through objects, but great distances, and even though she wasn't skilled in their use, the trait helped. Choji was a little different. He was horrible at almost everything when it came to being a ninja. However, Choji was useful for battle. He was only a head taller than both Sakura and Hinata, but he weighed more than both the girls combined. Sakura was fearful of calling him fat because it sparked a rage in the boy that could not be calmed.

Sakura quickly explained to the other two nin what she heard and asked Hinata to confirm what she had heard. Immediately, Hinata closed her eyes and shouted calling forth her power. She ground her teeth as she began to search the dark forest around them. Hinata quickly nodded when she spotted Iruka hidden within a tree.

"Um, he is t-three hundred meters to the north," stuttered Hinata as she gasped for breath. "He is hiding inside of a tree and no other squads are near him."

Sakura jumped up to the limb of an old, rotten tree almost slipping. She caught herself before the others noticed, but a flush of red brightened her cheeks as she beckoned to the others to follow. The group hurled themselves from limb to limb, the branches slightly bending under the weight. Before they reached Iruka's hiding spot, the three stopped and grew quiet. Sakura looked at Hinata once again to get her to confirm that Iruka was in the tree. The moment Hinata confirmed, Sakura threw a kunai with an explosive note attached into the tree. The explosion thundered through the woods scattering shrapnel and splinters in all directions. The children huddled behind a branch, but a few slivers of wood and metal scratched them. Thousands of birds took to the sky in an instant blacking out the sun. Sakura quickly looked at where Iruka had been. Her face suddenly twisted in shock. Nothing was there.

--

Naruto stood dumbfounded as the interior of the room opened up in his view. In the middle of the room was a giant oaken desk that was shaped like a semi circle. The desk itself had nine panels, and carved into each panel was an extremely scary looking animal. Naruto closed and opened his eyes several times noticing how each animal seemed to move across the desk as if each one were alive. Behind the desk was a chair made of the same oak as the desk. Naruto quickly shifted his gaze around the walls of the room and noticed that each wall was completely bare. Not a single painting or ornament adorned the walls of the room. In one corner was a bookshelf that extended up to the ceiling nearly fifteen feet. Thousands of books lined each shelf creating an almost breathtaking mural of muted colors.

As Sasori and Kisame stopped in front of the desk, Naruto finally took notice of the two figures standing near an open window watching the downpour outside. The first was a female with light blue hair. Naruto quickly observed the woman's features. Her eyes were piercing and her mouth was twisted into a constant frown. Most of all, Naruto noticed the silver piercing in her lower lip. The boy was upset for a moment as he thought of how horrible it was that she ruined her pretty face, but he was soon thrown into more of a fit as the second figure turned to face the group.

This second figure immediately frightened Naruto. Naruto took note of how his limbs began shaking at the sight of the man's grotesque, red eyes. What frightened the boy most was the man's face. Most of his face was covered in ugly piercings. Each ear contained nearly seven piercings while his nose was lined with six studs. Like the woman next to him, the man also had piercings in his lower lip although these were spiked. Naruto's eyes wanted to divert themselves from the man's expressionless face, but he couldn't muster the strength to move them, or rather, he felt drawn to the man's face. As the man began to speak, Naruto's ears instantly wanted to reject the voice. Sasori quickly knelt down next to Naruto and shielded the boy from the man.

As soon as Sasori was sure Naruto had calmed down he turned to face the man. It took only seconds for Sasori to judge the man's strength, weaknesses, and most importantly, the man's psyche. Sasori clenched his fists as he stared calmly into the man's eyes. He noticed how both eyes contained several rings in them. Before Sasori could continue his evaluation of the man, his voice rang out through the room.

"Welcome to my kingdom," muttered the man, "My name is Pein."

--

Sakura clenched her stomach and gazed down at her shaking hand. She quickly brought her hand to her mouth and coughed uncontrollably. As she looked back down at her hand, she noticed blood. Sakura attempted to lift herself up as she searched for signs of Choji and Hinata, but neither one was anywhere to be seen. Sakura slowly dragged herself to a nearby tree as her vision began to blur. Around her she could hear the sounds of explosions and the clash of blades. She began to cough again while she set herself against the trunk of a giant tree. Almost instantly, Sakura felt a rush of pain down her back. Sakura slowly reached a hand behind her and felt her back letting her fingers run across a deep gash causing streaks of pain to course through her body. As she brought her hand back around, she noticed the thick blood that covered her hand before everything went dark.

Sakura felt a chill brush across her face. Faces, she saw all kinds of faces, Iruka was screaming at her. Did she do something wrong? This would only have been the second time Iruka had scolded her, but even still he didn't seem angry. His face was scared, almost frightened. Sakura tried moving her hand, but she couldn't. All the energy seemed to be sucked out of her. Her head suddenly fell backwards and she plunged into darkness again.

Sakura's eyes slowly opened revealing a blur of colors. She quickly closed them again then strained to open them. This time she was able to view her surroundings. It was early morning and outside three open windows, Sakura could hear birds chirping. Sakura easily figured out that she was in a hospital. But where? She tried lifting herself up, but the pain that struck her body was overwhelming. Moments later Sakura heard whispers outside her door before it was opened. She twisted her head and saw Iruka-sensei smiling at her. Almost instantly a nearby nurse yelled at him for trespassing, but he brushed her off only further infuriating the young nurse. He rushed over to Sakura and clasped one of her hands in his. Sakura briefly smiled before Iruka solemnly began talking.

"I'm so happy that you are alive, Sakura," muttered Iruka as he let go of Sakura's hand, "I was fearful when they began attacking."

Confused Sakura questioned, "What do you mean, Iruka-sensei, who attacked?"

"The Hidden Mist Village attacked the training exercise. The explosion you had set off to catch me triggered a series of explosions that struck you and the other students. Before anything got worse, I carried you out of the worst, but you were severely injured and the other children needed my help," explained Iruka as he sat down in a nearby chair. "I was lucky that the ANBU arrived so soon. They fought off the first wave of attackers."

"Sensei, why did they attack? I thought the Hidden Mist was isolated."

"We don't know why, but the entire city is on alert and the Hokage himself is on the front lines fighting. All the missions have been canceled and all Chuunin and Jounin have been ordered to the wall."

"What about classes?" asked Sakura lifting herself up painfully. "If all the Chuunin are gone, no one can teach us."

"That's right, Sakura," replied Iruka softly, "Konohagakure is in a full state of emergency, upon any signs of attack, you, the children and the villagers will be moved into the tunnels hidden within the Hokage monument."

"I want to help though, I don't want to run!"

"No, absolutely not," shouted Iruka before calming down. "Goodbye, Sakura, I need to get to my squad. The nurses here will take care of you."

"Please, Iruka-sensei-"

"Sakura, you are too young to fight," interrupted Iruka. "Trust me. It is better you hide with the rest of the people if an attack comes."

Before Sakura could stop him, Iruka had jumped through the window and disappeared out of sight. Sakura slumped down in her bed lowering her head in thought. She wanted to help fight. Even if she was young there must have been something she could do. Sakura looked out the window and wondered how long she had been unconscious. Was everyone else alright? Did Choji and Hinata escape safely or were they stuck in bed like Sakura. Thinking back Sakura barely remembered any of what happened after she threw the explosive note. She had ducked as the splinters passed overhead. Then she saw flames and kunai in front of her. She had twisted her body when two knives or kunai had struck her. They had cut deep.

--

"Sasori, it is a pleasure to meet you," stated Pein calmly. The man had swiftly moved in front of Sasori and greeted him. However, the expression and the tone of Pein's voice had never changed. It was still dark and filled with a seething hatred. Naruto had immediately hidden behind Sasori's body looking out from behind the folds of cloth at Pein's face. As Pein's eyes floated down and met with Naruto's, the boy jumped back behind Sasori trying to hide himself. "So this is the boy you travel with? What is his name?"

"Naruto," Sasori quickly responded, his throat choked. "This boy means a lot to me."

"I understand," said Pein backing away. "My intention is not to keep you very long. I would like to ask that you join my organization."

"You mean demand," corrected Sasori.

"I don't like to put it that way, but yes," responded Pein taking a seat behind the desk. "You will join Akatsuki and be partnered with another member. As soon as you are prepared, you will receive your missions from Zetsu. Once you do in fact join Akatsuki, you will likely never meet me in person ever again."

"Would Naruto be separated from me?"

"No, although the boy can not become a full Akatsuki member until his skill is greater than a Jounin's," explained Pein resting his chin on his folded hands. "The boy can travel with you and your partner as you see fit."

"I understand, thank you," remarked Sasori turning to Naruto. "May we leave?"

"I would like you to meet your partner first. Oh, and there is one other person I would like you to meet. He will be Kisame's new partner."

"When was this decided, leader," snorted Kisame leaning against the wall behind Naruto. "He better not be some sort of asshole."

"I'm sure he will be to your liking, Kisame. Konan, call them into the room."

The blue-haired woman Naruto had adored quietly left the room as if she was floating on the air. His eyes followed her until she exited through a door on the side. Seconds later she returned with two men following behind her. The first was a younger man with black hair and thin lines under his eyes. His mouth was bent downwards in an unpleasant frown. He wore a cloak similar to the rest except that he held the collar open and rested his arm near his chest. The sleeve flapped around behind him as he sauntered into the room.

The second figure was starkly different from the first. This man deeply disturbed Naruto and brought out an intense fear that caused Naruto to freeze in horror. The man's skin was extremely pale. Unnaturally pale. His features were twisted and resembled a venomous snake. As he passed through the room, the man took a look at Naruto with his beady, slitted eyes and licked his lips with a long, forked tongue. His eyes pierced straight through Naruto forcing the boy to his knees. "It's unlike you, Leader, to let a boy into the organization. Although he looks very tasty." laughed the man as he sat against the desk.

"Sasori, I would like to introduce you to Itachi Uchiha, and Orochimaru. Orochimaru has been a member for some time now, but Itachi has joined only recently. Sasori of the Red Sand, the former Sannin, Orochimaru, is to be your partner in this organization. Kisame, Itachi Uchiha is to be your new partner."

"If that's what you wish, Leader," remarked Kisame as he lifted himself from the wall and walked over to Itachi. "You're pretty young, but strong. I think I might like you."

With a cold stare, Itachi brushed past Kisame, "If you get in my way, I'll kill you."

"I really am going to like you!"

As Kisame and Itachi were dismissed from the room, Pein sat back down in his chair and waved Orochimaru over to him. The two quickly whispered between themselves before Orochimaru walked up to Sasori. Naruto didn't notice the attack until the last second. Sasori had already grabbed the boy and was halfway across the room before Orochimaru noticed what happened. Looking back at the twisted, pale figure of Orochimaru, Naruto saw the man pull a sword wrapped around his tongue from the depths of his throat. A moment later he was next to Sasori swinging the sword. Sasori easily dodged the attack landing on his knees feet away holding Naruto between his arms. Sasori lifted one of his arms quickly and launched hundreds of tiny barbs from a slot within his hand. Although it had seemed Orochimaru had been struck by the barbs, he appeared once again next to Sasori. However, this time instead of striking at Sasori, he twisted the sword to aim for Naruto's head. Naruto rolled out of the way and instantly brandished one of the kunai Sasori had given him. Before the fight could develop any further, Pein appeared in the middle of the group.

"Enough," said Pein grabbing Orochimaru by the arm. "I have seen all I wanted. The rumor about you Sasori is true then. You turned your entire body into a puppet."

"That's right," stated Sasori calmly as he remained in his fighting stance. "There isn't a vulnerable spot upon my body. This body has more advantages than you could possibly imagine."

Naruto stood in horror. Even though Sasori had shown Naruto his body many times, it was still hard for Naruto to believe that the kind and gentle man he called Sasori had long forsaken his human form. Even though many would have viewed Sasori's body as an abomination, Naruto never once thought badly of the body whose warm embrace brought Naruto a soothing feeling. Even now Naruto's eyes slowly scanned over each joint noticing the slots that contained weapons and poisons. This body that was the vessel for so many weapons was also the vessel of the closest thing Naruto had to a father. Sasori was more than a weapon.

"I'm also quite pleased by the boy's skills," commented Pein as he approached Naruto. "I wouldn't have ever expected a child to dodge one of Orochimaru's attacks. How long has he been training."

"Seven months," replied Sasori with a hint of emotion masking his voice. "I have trained him personally. At first he was a bad student, but he learned quicker than myself."

"So then is he too a puppet master," cut in Orochimaru.

"No, Naruto chose his own path. He chose combat and deception over puppetry. He knows much more than you could expect."

Naruto smiled a little remembering his training. Sasori had been a strict teacher. Every day Naruto would improve his muscular strength by carrying large rocks from one side of a field to another. After that he would run for miles until he collapsed. Then after a short break he would spar with Sasori, or Sasori would show him several combat moves. For months Naruto had trained himself until he had nearly mastered several martial arts including the use of his kunai. Naruto had grown so fast in skill that he had caught Sasori by surprise when he was able to score a point in one of their spars. And his skills had paid off in the end. If he had been untrained, Orochimaru would surely have killed him, or at the very least injured the boy severely.

Naruto quickly put his kunai up in defense as Pein knelt beside him. He looked over towards Sasori who nodded after a few breaths. Naruto slowly slipped his kunai back within the depths of his sleeve replacing the weapon in it's holster near his elbow. Pein showed no emotion as he produced a short sword from beneath his cloak. He held it out in front of the boy's face. Before explaining the sword's history. It had bled and killed hundreds of ninja during the civil war in the the Land of Rain. Pein added that the sword contained a will of it's own and had been laced with the chakra of Hanzo, one of Amegakure's former leaders. It was Pein who had killed Hanzo, and he had used the man's chakra in order to create the sword. The sword remained nameless.

Pein looked into the depth's of Naruto's eyes and handed the boy the sword, "This sword will protect you, young akatuski. I want you to kill with this sword. I ask that you help my organization become great."

Naruto slowly grabbed the sword and weighed it in his hands, "I will."

**Preview of Chapter 9:** The Sun King

Naruto quickly glanced around the corner narrowly dodging several barbs that passed next to his eye. Ahead of him he saw the tall man he had been hunting. The man's long, red hair shone beneath the light of the moon, waving wildly in the wind. Naruto pulled his sword from his sheath causing the metal to sing with excitement. The blade was eager to taste blood. Behind him Naruto heard Sasori prepare a summoning jutsu with his caustic voice. Naruto noticed Orochimaru almost slivering up towards the man, but before he could get close enough the man created a light brighter than the sun. He quickly directed the beam of light at Orochimaru causing the snake-like man to catch fire. Naruto gawked as the man disappeared out of sight. An attack like that was unconceivable. How could someone control light?


	9. The Sun King

Sorry for the late release, I have been busy preparing for Ikasucon in July! Hope you all enjoy.

**Chapter 9:**** The Sun King**

A bead of sweat rushed down Naruto's cheek as the sun blared from above. Already his skin was beginning to glow a soft red. The soft, arid desert air didn't help to soothe the heat that caused Naruto to gasp. Naruto looked down at the black uniform he had been given only a few weeks ago. He felt lucky that he didn't have to wear the heavy black cloak that both Sasori and Orochimaru hid underneath. While Sasori seemed to be unaffected by the heat, Orochimaru on the other hand couldn't help but complain. The man seemed unsatisfied with the mission they had been assigned. It was a small hit on a rogue ninja preying upon several of the lesser ninja villages in the Land of Wind. However, before they moved into that area, Sasori had insisted upon visiting Sunagakure, the great ninja village within the Land of Wind.

Wiping the sweat from his face Naruto gazed at the mountains in the distance. They had been looming ahead of the group for several miles. Naruto grinned at the sight. It was a nice change from the dull brown rocks and soft sand that crowded the desert. They had reached the edge of the desert three days ago, and though they had already traveled several leagues, Naruto knew they were barely more than halfway to Sunagakure. In this short time, Naruto would train with both Sasori and Orochimaru, learning new techniques from both ninja. On the second day, Sasori had retreated within a large and powerful looking puppet that he named Hiruko. The puppet had a large mask upon its back and within the mask was a large scorpion-like tail. Sasori had explained that this puppet was like a suit of armor as the tail was much harder than any other weapon contrived by man. The puppet's left arm also contained an attachment that could launch thousands of poisoned barbs or even release a poison gas.

Naruto looked away from Sasori and noticed Orochimaru complaining about the sand and heat. The boy giggled as he noticed the pale man curse at his surroundings. It was obvious that Orochimaru was not suited for the desert as his pale skin was being torched by the sun's violent rays. As they continued to walk, Naruto became annoyed by Orochimaru's constant swearing and whining. Naruto wondered if any human could complain as much as this man; it seemed nearly impossible. Naruto drew his attention away from Orochimaru and unsheathed the sword Pein had given him. The metal shone brightly as it reflected the sun's rays into Naruto's face. He still hadn't decided upon a name for the sword. Naruto had tested the blade's thirst for blood by giving it some of his own. Remarkably the moment a drop of blood hit the blade the sword came alive. It shifted in Naruto's hands, almost begging for more. The blade of the sword had begun to glow blue as if it had chakra of its own, but Naruto knew it merely used the chakra hidden within the blood. Naruto wanted a name that would hold meaning to the sword. Under Sasori's watch, he had browsed through the various libraries Pein owned searching through the mythology until he had stumbled upon a single name, Surtr. That single name held an air of power, and a thirst for blood.

Naruto held the blade slowly twirling it around in his grip. As he looked at the gleaming blade, he rolled the name Surtr off his tongue. The sword reacted to the name as if heaven itself had cast the name upon it. Naruto gently replaced Surtr within its sheath.

Naruto was quickly stirred from his thoughts by a loud howl from Orochimaru. The man was covering one of his arms, which now glowed a dull red. The sun had relentlessly attacked the pale man's skin for hours. Naruto reveled in the man's pain. A smile struck across his face as a gentle laugh rumbled from his stomach. Moments later Orochimaru chased after the boy shouting curses and throwing various kunai. In an instant Sasori stopped the two as he pointed ahead. In his thick, heavy voice, Sasori mumbled, "Sunagakure is just up ahead. Be careful, the ninja of Sunagakure do not take kindly to travelers. They are filled with a hatred of the other nations."

Orochimaru quickly snapped, "Well, sounds pleasant. I must say this is quite the spot for a vacation, sand, clear sky, desert. Marvelous."

"Your sarcasm will only bring you pain, Orochimaru."

"Whatever you say, puppet-freak."

Naruto watched as Sasori angrily turned away from Orochimaru and continued walking forward. He hesitated for a moment before quickly running to Sasori's side. The hunched over puppet, Hiruko, gazed forward with a blank look in its eyes. The puppet's jaw hung loose in three separate pieces that clattered back and forth. The sound the jaw made every time it clicked sent a cold feeling down Naruto's back. Naruto looked down at Hiruko's massive fist. The thing contained hundreds of different poisons and weapons. Naruto wondered why Sasori had chosen such an odd appearance to hide himself within, but he figured the man had his reasons. Naruto quickly remembered several of the stories Sasori had told him of his home village. Sunagakure was giant and hidden within a gorge and all the buildings were made from the sand-bitten rock of that gorge. Naruto looked up at Sasori and was startled as the dead eyes of Hiruko stared into his own. In his deep, growling voice Sasori asked Naruto, "What do you need?"

Naruto jumped back still not used to the voice, "I was just wondering." said Naruto stumbling over his words, "Why- why are we going to Sunagakure?"

"I am looking for someone. He is very important for what I hope to accomplish one day. I need to use him for something." replied Sasori turning to look at Naruto.

Confused, Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Is he going to help us with this mission Pein gave us?"

"Naruto!" shouted Sasori, his scratchy voice echoing away. "Show Leader-sama respect do not call him by his name. And No. The person I am looking for will not help us at all with our current assignment."

"Okay then, but why can't I call Pein, Pein?"

"Because he will slowly pick you apart piece by piece." retorted Orochimaru as he slithered up to Naruto's side. "Look up ahead, I think we we have reached your village, Sasori."

Naruto glanced upward slitting his eyes against the strong wind as it coughed up sand. A giant wall of red rock appeared in Naruto's vision. To the boy it seemed as though the desert just suddenly ended. While he raised his arm up to protect his eyes from the grains of sand twisting around in the wind, Naruto glanced up at Hiruko's expressionless face. He barely heard what Sasori's gruff voice said, but he swore he heard the word "death."

--

Sakura winced as she pulled the soft, red vest over her shoulders. The wounds in her back had still not fully healed. Slowly Sakura fastened a belt around her waist. She clipped on several different packs to the belt, checking to make sure each one was secure. As she finished slipping on her blue sandals, Sakura reached out to the table next to her and grabbed a red, silk ribbon. Instantly she pulled her hair back and tied the ribbon securely so it held the hair away from her eyes. Sighing, Sakura lifted herself from her bed and walked towards the door.

The hallway was empty save for a few paintings on the wall and a small bookshelf underneath a window at one end. At the other end, dank wooden steps led to the floor below. Sakura treaded lightly towards the steps. With each step, planks of wood sang out their creaking melody. As Sakura entered the kitchen, she saw her mother preparing a breakfast. The woman's hair was unkempt as several strands of hair stood on end. Dark circles lined her mother's eyes, the gifts of many sleepless nights. Trying not to disturb her mother, Sakura silently sat down by the window staring out into the street. The normal bustle in the streets was now absent since the war had started. She noticed a few men talking by one of the other houses. All three were wearing green vests and carried large swords. As the men shifted around Sakura stared in amazement at the mask one of the men wore. It resembled the face of a fox, but had strange markings covering it.

"It isn't polite to stare, Sakura." Sakura jumped in shock as her mother set a plate out on the table. "The food is ready go ahead and eat."

"Mom, please don't scare me like that," said Sakura her hair still tingling from the shock. "You could have killed me from shock alone." Sakura walked over to the table and sat down. She picked at the food on the plate until finally she decided to take a bite. Her mother's breakfast was always bitter and Sakura would rush the food past her tongue so she didn't have to taste it. After a few minutes of silence, Sakura finally spoke up again.

"Mother, who was that man in the mask?"

Sakura's mother took the empty dishes over to the sink. "That man was part of the ANBU. They are all very strong. They protect our village from threats both inside and out."

"What do you mean inside?" questioned Sakura as she went over to help her mother.

"Well, sometimes the enemy isn't always from a different village or country." sighed her mother sitting back on a stool. "ANBU is the Hokage's protection. There are many people within the village who don't like the Hokage. ANBU protects him from those people."

"Why would people in the village not like the Hokage, mom? He has done so many good things."

"Yes, he is a very good man, but he has made enemies that don't agree with what he has done with the village."

"I don't understand," muttered Sakura staring at the plate in front of her. "He hasn't done anything bad."

Sakura's mother let out a brief chuckle. "I think you will understand when you are older. Could you please finish up here. It's time for me to get my gear together I have another mission today." As her mother walked out of the room, Sakura silently stared at her reflection wondering why anyone in the village could ever hate the Hokage. He had never done anyone any harm. So, why? Sakura suddenly snapped back as she heard the front door slam shut. Her mother had left.

School had been closed ever since the war had begun weeks ago. Since then every adult and some of the children of the village were busy on missions or were assigned to the wall. The only thing Sakura could do right now was to visit Chouji in the hospital. While Sakura's wounds had been severe, Chouji's had been far worse in comparison. The young boy had taken most of the damage from the attack because he had jumped in front of Hinata. The shy girl on the other hand had suffered the least pain of the three. She had been lucky thought Sakura as she unconsciously felt her back. She caught herself in surprise and quickly took her hands away from the scars. Sakura glanced down at her hand. Chouji would like some flowers, probably.

--

Naruto stood in awe at the gnarled, black rock that loomed above him several hundred feet. The rock cast a dark shadow across the flat desert the three had just crossed. Ahead, Naruto saw three men stopping people before letting them pass through a large gap in the rock. Attempting to gaze through the pass, Naruto tripped over his robes into Orochimaru. The man immediately smacked Naruto across the face spitting venomous curses at the boy for ripping his cloak. Sasori didn't hesitate to silence the man as a few guards walked up to the trio.

"What is your business in Sunagakure?" asked one of the men brandishing a sword.

Sasori answered calmly, "We have business in the village. A friend of mine lives here. We have traveled a long way and would like to meet with our friend."

"Why are you all dressed like that, and why do you have a child with you?" huffed the man as he lowered the sword and looked at one of his comrades.

"We are the boy's guardians." gestured Sasori pointing to himself and Orochimaru. "These cloaks carry the mark of the child's family."

"Alright, I understand. You might want to get your friend some healing herbs. His body is redder than a desert lizard." joked the guard walking over to the next group. "You can go on through."

"Sasori, if we don't move at once, I swear I will kill that man." snapped Orochimaru reaching into his cloak. "That fool mocked me. I will make sure to dispose of him."

Naruto watched as Orochimaru pulled out a tiny, red book from within his cloak. A pen appeared from his sleeve and he hastily scrawled upon the piece of paper. Letting out a short breath of air, Orochimaru replaced the booklet into his cloak and the pen disappeared inside his sleeve. The boy followed after Sasori as the three entered underneath the shadow of the cliffs above them. Naruto suddenly became aware of the hundreds of eyes that were watching him. He peered to his left and right noticing more men in masks with headbands strapped to their foreheads. All of the men had weapons prepared and their stance revealed their distrust for outsiders. Sasori gently nudged the boy forward whispering in his ear. Sasori explained how these were Sunagakure's soldiers. For years they had defended attacks upon these very cliffs. The cliffs had been an impenetrable wall for outside armies, but for the people living within the village, it had been a force of protection. Naruto gawked in wonder as Sasori pointed out various strongholds and tunnels within the cliff-side. Sasori described in detail the many battles fought on this soil as Naruto desperately tried to imagine men struggling to overcome the forces hidden within the cliffs. As Sasori finished talking, he made a motion for Naruto to look forward. The sight that caught the boy's eyes could not have brought him more excitement.

--

The street was abandoned as Sakura left the flower shop. The shop was owned by Ino's mother, but Ino had been the one working within the shop. Sakura quickly asked her for a simple bouquet of flowers. Ino had persisted in asking who the flowers were for, but Sakura had not been in the mood to say. Ino immediately believe that Sakura was planning on giving them to Sasuke, a boy in their class, who sat alone and refused to talk with anyone unless it was to learn. Most of the girls had fallen for the boy who had perfect scores in every subject, but Sakura had never even thought about Sasuke until that point. He was smart, and intelligent, but she didn't understand why everyone thought he was cool. Sakura simply believed he was shy. The moment Ino had refused to give Sakura the flowers, Sakura blew up on her and explained they were for Chouji. Shocked, Ino quickly ran to the back of the store and prepared a lively bouquet of spring flowers. Sakura took them and left the shop silently.

As Sakura began to walk towards the hospital, a patrol of ANBU rushed past her towards the main gate. All of them had swords strapped to their backs and they wore strange vests different from those worn by most of the regular nin. Sakura quickly decided she would take a short cut so she could get to the hospital sooner.

The alleyways were dark and still damp from the last rainfall. Unlike the main streets, the alleys were cluttered with junk and garbage through which Sakura had to weave. Since the ANBU patrol, Sakura hadn't crossed paths with any other living thing save a few rats. As she turned another corner, she caught a glimpse of the top of the hospital building. She quickened her pace, but stopped when she heard voices. It seemed two or three men were having an argument, but they kept their voices hushed so that no one could hear them. Curious, Sakura carefully edged forward and stared down the alley. Three men were arguing with each other while a fourth leaned against the wall of a building. The first man mentioned something about an assassination, while the second argued that it would fail. The third man immediately hushed the two that were fighting. The third man wore a brown overcoat that fell to his ankles. Underneath the coat he wore a black shirt with several pockets. Around his waist was a red leather belt with a silver buckle shaped into a wolf's head. Sakura gasped when she saw the headband hanging out of the man's pocket. It was clearly marked with the symbol of the Hidden Mist. The man opened his mouth.

"The Hokage is vulnerable at the moment." he muttered as he removed a lighter from his pocket. "We could easily attack him now since most of the ANBU are outside fighting our forces. With the Hokage dead, we could give signal to our soldiers to attack Konoha's wall." The man said the last few word's slowly as he brought a cigarette to his mouth. As he was about to light it, Sakura backed into a metal cylinder. She tried grabbing for it, but the cylinder crashed to the bricks with a loud bang. The four men immediately silenced themselves and Sakura heard footsteps approaching her. She quickly got on her feet and began running. One of the men spotted her and called to the rest. In moments the four men were gaining on her. Sakura tried to focus her mind and control her breathing. Kunai ricocheted off of the wall she just passed. As she was about to run around another corner, she ran straight into the chest of a man. Panicking she grabbed at the animal mask on his face. The man disappeared into the shadows, taking Sakura with him.

--

Night had come too soon for Naruto. The boy had not been given the time during the day to explore the town. Instead Sasori had led them to a small inn where the three would stay for the next few days. Naruto now sat in the comfortable suite the Innkeeper had given them. The suite sat at the uppermost level of the building with a view that spanned the entire city. Within the suite were several rooms. It contained a small kitchen with all the necessary utensils. It also had several bedrooms all decorated with floral designs. The room even came with it's own bath-chamber which Orochimaru currently monopolized. Sasori had left the room hours earlier ordering Naruto to stay put until he returned. Naruto had been left in the central room which contained a sofa and several chairs arranged around a fireplace. Naruto sat in one of the chairs gazing out the window wondering when Sasori would return. Outside, life within the city was becoming still as the sun sank low in the sky. Bright red rays peaked the sky as the wind suddenly stopped. Naruto's eyes widened as he rose from the dark, leather chair and walked towards the open window. A gentle flow of air pushed the boy's golden hair away from his face. Within an instant, Naruto felt a sudden pull on his body. He frantically looked out the window as his body tried to will itself towards some unknown presence. The sun drifted lower. Naruto was struggling against his body as it tried to pull him forward. The boy was now fighting with all his will on the balcony, twisting and writhing on the floor as his feet kicked him forward. A heartbeat drew his attention. He felt him, a man just feet away. He could feel the harsh, steel eyes contemplating. They searched Naruto's entire body. The boy turned and saw a face staring at him from a nearby rooftop. A great, black mane flowed from the man's head, almost alive. His red eyes pierced through Naruto's skin like narrow daggers.

As Naruto let out a rapid breath, the man suddenly darted from behind cover and approached the boy. The grasp that the man seemed to have had on Naruto lessened and the boy scrambled to his feet reaching to his back for his absent sword. Naruto bit back a swear as he realized Surtr wasn't strapped to his back. Back in the room the boy noticed the blade carefully laying against a bookcase. The man stepped closer, his figure outlined by the last dying rays of the sun. Already the moon peered over the high cliffs surrounding the city. The man's gaze never left Naruto. The boy slowly backed away his feet sliding on the iron balcony that scraped at his skin. Naruto stumbled backwards as he caught words mumbled through the man's soft breath. "You have another inside you." The man edged closer his eyes darting into the room. Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as Orochimaru sprang out of the shadows releasing a torrent of snakes upon the steel-eyed man. The snakes bit and tore at the man's clothes, but none seemed to harm his skin. As Orochimaru swung his cloak around his naked body, the man sprang backward into the darkness of a nearby room.

"Hurry boy," spat Orochimaru grabbing several blades from within the depths of his cloak. "We must catch this man!"

Naruto burst back inside as Sasori crashed through the inn's door his iron fist prepared to launch several hundred needles into his target. Naruto quickly gathered the sword explaining to Sasori what happened. Both of them quickly moved after Orochimaru who had hurled himself after the black-haired man. _What had he meant?_ Wondered Naruto as he secured Surtr to his back. _What have I got inside of me? _Naruto followed Sasori jumping from rooftop to rooftop avoiding barrels and other objects that would hinder his movement. Ahead he saw the black mane of the man who had approached him seemingly disappearing as a flash clattered across the horizon singing of the sun's surrender to the night. Naruto looked up at the moon already positioned high in the sky before following Sasori down into the dark depths of an alley.

Sasori hushed Naruto as he quietly moved towards an intersection. He quickly looked around a corner before signaling for Naruto to continue forward. The two moved on through the endless alleys this way until they came across a panting Orochimaru. The snake-eyed man mentioned something about a blinding light, but Naruto paid no attention to Orochimaru as he felt the same strange pull as he did earlier on the balcony. Something deep in Naruto's mind wanted desperately to give in to the pull, but Naruto quickly shook the feeling away as he crouched near the corner where two roads met.

Naruto quickly glanced around the corner narrowly dodging several barbs that passed next to his eye. Ahead of him he saw the tall man he had been hunting. The man's long, black hair shone beneath the light of the moon, waving wildly in the wind. Naruto pulled his sword from his sheath causing the metal to sing with excitement. Surtr was eager to taste blood. Behind him Naruto heard Sasori prepare a summoning jutsu with his caustic voice. Naruto noticed Orochimaru almost slithering up towards the man. Almost instantly a light appeared in the palm of the man's hand. As it spun around, it became brighter and brighter until Naruto had to peel his eyes away. He looked back over to Orochimaru who had suddenly caught fire as the man shot a beam of the light directly at Orochimaru's heart. As the light vanished, Naruto noticed Orochimaru's body exploding into a flurry of venomous snakes all directing themselves at the man. Within the blink of an eye, the snake's were vaporized by the same white light the man had fashioned earlier. Naruto watched as Sasori shot a stream of poisoned needles at the man's head. The man jumped in the air dodging them all shouting, "Those attacks will not harm me. I am the Sun King."

--

A hand clasped tight around Sakura's mouth as she felt a warm rush of air flow across her neck. A whisper from the man brushed across her warning her to remain quiet. She turned her face to take a look at the man's face. The first thing she noticed was his blood red left eye. A long scar ran from the man's hair into the depths of the cloth, black mask that covered the man's face up to his eyes. The man's hair was a bright silver and flowed oddly to one side of his head. Sakura's eyes quickly darted to the man's left eye which was as black as the shadows that surrounded the two. The man's two eyes stared back into Sakura's emerald eyes as he brought a single finger up to where his mouth was.

The man motioned his head forwards, looking into the distance. Sakura followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon the men that had been hunting her a moment before. All four now had weapons drawn and were searching the alleys ahead of them patiently, occasionally calling for her to come out. The man brought his mouth close to Sakura's ear and whispered. "I'm going to jump away from here. Hold on tightly." Sakura nodded as she let the man's soothing voice calm her. A wave of energy flowed through Sakura as the man hurled himself through the air up onto the roof of a building. He didn't stop, but instead used his forward motion to launch himself forward once again as he cradled Sakura by his side. The two went on like this for what seemed like hours until the man finally seemed satisfied and stopped himself atop a building within the shadow of the Hokage monument. The man knelt down so he could see eye to eye with Sakura. Sakura bit her lip as she fumbled nervously under the man's dauntless gaze.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" cried Sakura as she balled her hands into tight fists. At first the man seemed to ponder the question as he gazed upwards toward the sky. However, Sakura grew edgy as the man remained silent for several moments. Finally Sakura broke the silence once again. "Are you even going to answer me?!"

"Is that any way to say thank you to someone who saved your life." responded the man calmly as he sat down and leaned against a wall. Sakura folded her arms together and blushed turning her face from the man.

"Thank you," muttered Sakura under her breath. "Who are you, are you a part of ANBU? I remember that mask."

"Was that so hard to say? Regardless, I am a friend. I have no name that you can know."

"What do you mean everyone has a name." choked Sakura as she bit at her lip again.

The man easily responded in a gentle voice, "Our names are kept secret for our safety."

As Sakura wondered about the man's identity she suddenly remembered a question that she had been wanting to ask for a while. "Who, were those men?"

"Enemies of the Leaf and the Hokage would be quite interested in the conversation you overheard."

Sakura stumbled over her words carelessly, "T-the Hokage wants to see me?"

As if in response, a rumbled voice answered her from behind. "Yes, Sakura-chan, I would very much like to hear what those men were saying."


End file.
